The practice of yoga is to show up every day, knowing that how you practice yoga today is not going to be the same tomorrow.
As each day comes and goes we experience life a little differently. Each day we are reborn from our slumber and there is a shift in our internal world. This being said, your best today may not be your best tomorrow. Some days we will work our bodies hard and long, breathe into every part of our being and enjoy this intensity; whilst other days you may wake up feeling tight, sore and find it difficult to feel that same motivation you did yesterday. Be kind to yourself and know that on a day like this just sitting, breathing and moving slowly is enough.
Yoga is the experience of communion, the process by which you lose all identity of yourself as a separate being and become united with nature both as expansive, Shakti (creative energy) as well as stillness, Shiva (eternal bliss). Both of these qualities are within you and it takes turning up to your mat every day to experience these subtle energies while learning to balance them. Yoga is finding comfort within the discomfort, Asana acting like a metaphor for life. We are not always going to feel comfortable with what's happening in our world. Within discomfort reaction is born. Reactions are instinctual and stem from the subconscious mind. There’s no filtering process when you react to a situation. When you can sit with this discomfort, just as you sit in a pose and breath slowly and deeply you can find peace within and respond to what your body is allowing you to do and the depths you can achieve. Responses are more thoughtful. When you respond, you first explore within your mind the possible outcomes before taking action. Moving mindfully rather than rapidly, experiencing Asana in this way can help you avoid injury.
So move your body. Breathe deeply and stay present. Go into the tight spots. Release, stretch and let go.
Learn how to control action rather than react and move into a place of thoughtful response, let this practice be your guide and your teacher, as you ride the wave of life. All you need to do is turn up.
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