Rachael - I'm curious if doing the challenge during exams helped your studying or performance during the exams? I know Carolyn came to yoga a few hours before a genetics exams, and I was a bit worried that she's be yoga-blissed instead of exam-focused!
Naomi - that's interesting about your sleep patterns changing - has it kept up? Finding a useful tool to take your mind off a stressful situation when it's very much in-the-present (like a bumpy plane ride) - that's a great testimonial for sensory withdrawl and concentration :)
Troy - You mention that yoga has helped you focus - that's great to hear because what this practice is all about. Hatha yoga is a physically based-system, which means there are benefits to the body, but that's secondary to honing our mind.
There a many steps in the Hatha yoga system. Pratyahara (withdrawl of the senses) is the turning point between external focus and internal focus - something that we build practice during breath-work and the postures. There's more to it than quietly ignorning the person next to you in class - it's turning our focus away from the bombardment of thoughts that are considered external to your true Self. The next stage, Dhyana, is the practice of concentration. The ability to focus, instead of being at the mercy of our sometimes-chaotic minds, is a huge benefit is our daily lives. So.... it's all part of the journey!
Sean - I'm so impressed that you got through the challenge with the commute from Vancouver. It's a really good thing that we decided early on to count back-to-backs. Not only because they allowed people to complete the challenge, but also for the experience of doing two classes in a row. There are systems of Hatha yoga that return to savasana through the posture practice. The ability to quickly slip into savasana, leaving whatever is happening in the past or future (e.g. another yoga class) is an interesting challenge in itself.
