Practice as Ritual

This weeks practice was with Stevee at the Lodge again. The space itself does not make for much in the way of ritual in regards to the actual space. Although, you could find ritual in the structuring of the class, the use of the postures (i.e. the order in which they are done), and in the use of various props.Stevee always starts the class with the chanting of Om three times. We then proceed into the set of postures that she has gotten ready for the night. We always end class in a similar manner. We do heart bridge, or something similar, and then the corpse posture. The last thing we do is chant Om one time. In the manner with which Stevee structures her class, the props we use, and the order with which we do the postures, a basis of ritual can be found. It may not be "ritual" in the way most people would see it, but by definition is "a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order" (Webster's Dictionary). Based on that definition I would say there is an obvious ritual feel to the classes regardless of where they are being held.