by Marisa Romero
I was returning from a 7-day fun Vietnam holiday with my senior classmates when I had my first-ever fall.
I had cleared Immigration and was casually walking towards the exit with my white suitcase wheeling slightly before me, then boom! My suitcase fell right in front of me, and I fell over it. It must have tilted over because my carry-on bag was slung over the top handle. By reflex, my legs were able to steady my whole body and prevent me from falling face down on the hard concrete floor. My foot, which got caught by the edge of the suitcase, just suffered a small negligible bruise.
It was after my gentle class session with Monica that I realized how the leg-strengthening poses we do in class must have switched on protection mode and by “instinct”, I was able to will my body to balance and prevent a near fatal fall.
It has been six months since I began Iyengar yoga and my body is slowly gaining strength and I am getting fit.
This is a gift to me in my senior years.