I have to say, this past while has been unusual for me. Thank goodness for my yoga practice, which has been curtailed in its physical capacity due to some physical limitations. It makes it all the more important that I maintain the other aspects of practice, meditation and personal study, accompanied by pranayama, which I am vowing as of now to resume. (Saying the words, that’s the start.)
A magnificent student of mine, who regularly attends several of my classes, recently went through a significant trial as her life turned upside-down suddenly. She handled it with remarkable aplomb, and I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the magnitude of the entire thing to come down on her. And yet she has continued to show up, week after week, shaken certainly but still present, still practicing. I asked her how she’s managing to hold up so well, and she told me the only thing she could attribute it to is her practice. The strength and presence she has gained coming week after week, day after day, has built the walls of her container strong enough to hold roiling waters. B.K.S. Iyengar attributed the power of asana to be that which tonifies the nervous system so as to prepare the self for ever-increasing vigorous practice, and not so much that of asana itself as the really tough stuff: sitting still and roping the mind repeatedly back to stillness and presence.
How do we keep practicing when it feels tiring or boring or like a chore? I find operating on the idea of things being good for me or things paying off later, down the road, that only takes me so far. I need some more immediate benefits as well, and thankfully my practice brings that to me nearly every time. Sometimes I need to get a little creative about it; for example recently sitting in meditation has actually been painful, so sometimes I meditate lying down, or in the shower, or in the tub. The asana practice itself has also been painful recently, which has spurred me to find an asana practice that I can do, poses that feel good, as well as applying asana principles to non-asana activities, like my MMA classes. I use yogic breath, mantra, even balance and strength alignment cues, to keep me moving through my physical activities, allowing them for the time being to take the place of my physical asana practice. So it stays alive in my life.
Finding ways to take care of ourselves in all the phases of life, whether sick or well, tired or energized, strapped for time or looking for things to fill the appointment book, this is where yoga practice comes into play in all its facets. It is a practice for all seasons, moments, phases of life. If you don’t practice, why don’t you practice? There is a practice for you no matter what or who you are.
