Continuous Practice

The thing about Yoga that gives me the most peace of mind is that a pose is never "done". The thing about Yoga that leaves me with the most frustration is that a pose is never "done". And look, that applies to the rest of my life as well.

Sometimes I so dearly want to use yesterday's effort to get credit for today. I made my bed, brushed my teeth, cleaned the kitchen, folded my clothes, updated a spreadsheet, paid a bill, and did some spiritual homework yesterday...and by the end of the day, boy was I tuckered out. And then here comes today and my bed is unmade, my teeth need a brushing, my kitchen is a mess, my hamper is full of clothes, that spreadsheet is now a day old, there's another bill to pay, and I have more reading and writing to do in order to keep myself spiritually balanced.

So I go to Yoga to take my mind off of things and ahhh, yes, here comes my favorite: Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). I got this one down. Ok, step my right leg back and turn it out 45 degrees, check. Reach my left arm forward and start to stack my hips, check. Allow the reach to turn vertical as I stretch my left hand to the floor (or block, as the case often may be), ahhh, there we go. Reach the right arm up as I open at the waist and turn my ribs to the ceiling, yes. Lift up through the thighs and root down through the heels, done. Oh wait, now my foot has slipped and I have some room to adjust it, okay. And now I have more room in my hips to reach my spine long and create space between my hips and my heart, sure. As it turns out, I can also readjust both my standing arm as well as my acting arm, fine. And with all of that, I let go of my thigh and it turns out I can re-engage my right buttock while I'm at it...

I can go through that checklist for as long as I am in the posture--and I can add to it each time. It turns out that what takes my mind off of my revolving to-do list out here in the rest of the world is the fact that I get to replace it with a new continuous list when I'm on the mat. How frustrating. How freeing.

It reminds me that no matter how "done" I think I am, I can always go back and check something else. I always have a choice to be fully involved in whatever it is I am doing. Every second counts--but it only counts for itself. The work I do one day strengthens me for the next day but ultimately, if I wish to maintain a practice and to reap the benefits it provides, each day is a new opportunity. One day, one pose, one breath at a time, I have the chance to work to strengthen my body, mind, and spirit.

The work I did yesterday helps me remember that for today it is a choice; it is a chance; it is an opportunity...

Namaste

Spiritual Aerodynamics

Things don't always go as I plan. I hate when that happens. At first it seems like things would just be so much easier if it all just went according to my great master plan. But sometimes a meeting for which I spent hours preparing is canceled. Or I drop and break my favorite mug and have to either forgo a cup of tea or drink one out of a Styrofoam cup--I chose to go without. Sometimes I plan to go to Yoga after work and end up stuck in traffic or just plain pooped and I don't make it.

"Not according to the plan" can be a good thing also, however. Sometimes a meeting I dread is cancelled. Or someone gives me a gift of a new coffee mug out of the blue. Sometimes evening plans are cancelled and I get to go to Yoga when I didn't expect to be able to.

The point is: my plans mean little to the Universe. My plans about my career, my plans about my stuff, and my plans about my practice...

The good news is: I still get to go to work, I still get to deal with my stuff, and I still get to trudge the road of my spiritual (and physical) practice....

What it means to me is this: there are no big deals. And that's what all of my plan-making not meaning a thing to the flow of the Universe has to do with that nifty term I think I coined.

The idea of no big deals is of great help for me when it comes to both life on and off the mat. Whether it's great news or terrible or something in between it will pass and it doesn't have to be something that will knock me over. Maybe today work was no fun but tomorrow could be different. Maybe I "got" a really tough and fancy posture during Yoga class tonight but that doesn't mean a thing about what my practice will look like tomorrow. Either way, it's just something that happened and there's no reason for my flame to flicker wildly.

At first that sounds kind of boring. As though I have no feelings and nothing but nothing has any effect on me. Believe me, it's not boring. First and foremost because this aerodynamic state of mind of mine is much more theory than practice but also because when I am in that place, it's the greatest place in the world to be. On those occasions when my spiritual practice and connection to the Divine are sturdy enough to hold me up I can be satisfied, fulfilled, and given joy from everything. I hope you can experience it soon. I hope I get to as well...

Namaste