Another new start
If someone was following my blog, she'd say "this gal doesn't do much of yoga, nor blogging". It has been more than two months since my last entry, and only now I finally have the time and the motivation to write about yoga practice again.
Actually, I've been doing yoga almost every day for the last three weeks. It is just not the standard ashtanga practice, but "fooling around" within the limited time and energy level. I've been very busy and stressed at work since January. Since I had a slight burn-out last year, I've learnt that when things go heavy at work, the ashtanga practice must go light. And vice-verse: I can intensify my ashtanga practice as soon as things at work are calmer. It is the samastiti of life, finding the balance between different things. My energy level is enought for only a certain amount of intense doing, all included.
What is really nice, my Teacher understands this and has showed me some recovering asanas. He doesn't mind if I come to the mysore class and do only those. Actually it seems to interest him - his approach to ashtanga yoga is on one hand very disciplined and hard-working, but on the other hand, very human and warm and permitting. He likes to play with a lot of iyengar gears and I think that is genial. After all we are all different, have different handicaps and different days, and therefore the practice should respond to those differences. One thing about yoga that I have learnt is to be flexible - and I am not talking about physical flexibility, which has come along. I have always been a flexible person if situations that require, but I have learnt to be flexible for my own expectations, as well. More gentil and accepting to my own weaknesses. That is a great relief in life.
I hope my hubby would learn that as well. And to calm his mind.
So, for the practice, only this week I have returned to the "normal". During an intense period at work, I decided to limit my mysore practices to three a week. During the travels, I carried my light mat, and did at least the sun salutations every morning. Sometimes a little more, according to the time and energy available.
The hard part of not practising the "full lot" regularly is that I get sore. After a small pause, the first practice is really nice, sore nowhere and full of power. You fly! The next day is a different story: hamstrings are sore, arms are tight, and the practice is heavy and hard. But knowing that it will all come back, you "fight through it" and the day after it is already easier.
The difficult part is to know when you should not push through the practice. It is difficult to see when your "I'll stop at navasana" thoughts are due to mental and physical lazyness, or a profound fatigue and lack of energy. In the first case I believe you should continue, and in the latter, go easy or stop... The difficult part is to recognize which one it is.
Actually, I've been doing yoga almost every day for the last three weeks. It is just not the standard ashtanga practice, but "fooling around" within the limited time and energy level. I've been very busy and stressed at work since January. Since I had a slight burn-out last year, I've learnt that when things go heavy at work, the ashtanga practice must go light. And vice-verse: I can intensify my ashtanga practice as soon as things at work are calmer. It is the samastiti of life, finding the balance between different things. My energy level is enought for only a certain amount of intense doing, all included.
What is really nice, my Teacher understands this and has showed me some recovering asanas. He doesn't mind if I come to the mysore class and do only those. Actually it seems to interest him - his approach to ashtanga yoga is on one hand very disciplined and hard-working, but on the other hand, very human and warm and permitting. He likes to play with a lot of iyengar gears and I think that is genial. After all we are all different, have different handicaps and different days, and therefore the practice should respond to those differences. One thing about yoga that I have learnt is to be flexible - and I am not talking about physical flexibility, which has come along. I have always been a flexible person if situations that require, but I have learnt to be flexible for my own expectations, as well. More gentil and accepting to my own weaknesses. That is a great relief in life.
I hope my hubby would learn that as well. And to calm his mind.
So, for the practice, only this week I have returned to the "normal". During an intense period at work, I decided to limit my mysore practices to three a week. During the travels, I carried my light mat, and did at least the sun salutations every morning. Sometimes a little more, according to the time and energy available.
The hard part of not practising the "full lot" regularly is that I get sore. After a small pause, the first practice is really nice, sore nowhere and full of power. You fly! The next day is a different story: hamstrings are sore, arms are tight, and the practice is heavy and hard. But knowing that it will all come back, you "fight through it" and the day after it is already easier.
The difficult part is to know when you should not push through the practice. It is difficult to see when your "I'll stop at navasana" thoughts are due to mental and physical lazyness, or a profound fatigue and lack of energy. In the first case I believe you should continue, and in the latter, go easy or stop... The difficult part is to recognize which one it is.
posted by Q at
10:12 am
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