As I mentioned in a previous post, years ago my girlfriend and I took a yoga class.  It was in the evening at a local high school.

The final pose in the class was dedicated to meditation.  Our teacher had an incredibly soothing voice and  instructed us to flex then relax muscles, starting at our head and working down to our feet.  Then, using ‘guided meditation,’ she took us on a journey describing an idyllic place.  As she spoke, I could visualize a beautiful hillside above a lake.  I could hear the movement of the water, the only other sound was my breathing.  I could smell the grass and feel the warmth of the sun.  It was a perfect moment of tranquility.  I was mindful of her words as I focused on the moment.

“Now you are floating on a cloud.  As you look down, you can see yourself lying on the grass, you can see the clouds mirrored in the lake.  You are at peace.”

And then, THE END OF CLASS BELL CLANGED.

OMG!  WHAT IN THE HECK WAS THAT?

I sat up and looked around.  Where was my lake?  Where was the sun?  Where was the grass?  That wonderful, blissful peaceful moment was gone.

Once home it was back to  the mundane, clean up the kitchen, finish some laundry, make sure all was ready for tomorrow, and then time for sleep.

The following morning my alarm went off.  I sat up in bed.  The sheets were a grassy green, the walls a pale yellow.  Confused I thought, “where the heck am I?” Then, “wait a minute, WHO AM I?”  I just sat there looking at the unfamiliar, unaware of who or where I was.  I don’t think it lasted more than 30 seconds — however, it was the longest 30 seconds of my life.

I worked at a large medical center and while eating lunch, I mentioned what had happened to a friend (who also happened to be a psychiatrist).  “Wasn’t that weird?  I’ve never awakened not knowing where I was, much less who I was.”

“What did you do last night?”

“Went to a yoga class with Ro.”

“Did anything unusual happen?”

“Not really, oh the damn bell went off right in the middle of meditation.”

“Really, was the teacher guiding you through meditation?”

“Well yes, she was talking about our lying in the grass, and then we were up in a cloud looking at our body beneath us, and then the bell went off.”

Hmmm, ANOTHER BELL JUST WENT OFF!  Yep, it was a post hypnotic suggestion.

Last Thursday a friend at Toastmasters was telling me about her Yoga class.  She couldn’t find enough superlatives to describe it.  I was pretty candid about my experiences, but she invited me to her class anyway — me, with the broken toe and the post hypnotic suggestion.  More unbelievable, was my response.  I said, “Yes.”  Should I survive, I’ll let you know how it goes!