I flipped my dog!

Last night I did hot power vinyasa with an instructor named Martin.  This was my third class with him.  The great thing about Martin, besides the fact that he looks like a Greek statue, is that he sets up an atmosphere in class where you truly can believe in yourself.  He encourages us to play with the postures, take them to where we can and then stop and just feel where we are. 
The first time I ever did Baptiste I was overwhelmed by some of the postures.  They did this thing where you are in downward facing dog and then you "flip your dog"**.  I remember dropping to my knees to watch and thinking "there is no way in hell I will EVER do that!" I was tired just being in down dog and I was afraid to even try.  I had visions of falling and somehow maybe even breaking my neck during the transition.
Last night in Martin's class I decided to set my intention to play.  Have fun with it.  Listen to my body.  So when he said "ok, now flip your dog" I just did it.  The gentle tap as my foot landed and the stretch in my body as I stayed in the landing position felt amazing.  I dropped my head back and saw myself in the mirror and a huge smile splayed across my face.  All I could think was "OMG I just flipped my dog!  Holy cow, I flipped my dog!"  Something that felt impossible in Feb of 2010 during my first Baptiste class suddenly just happened, effortlessly. 
God I love yoga.
Tonight it's back to Bikram.  Lacey is going to show me how to train for the splits.  I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

**for a you tube demo of flipping your dog, click the link