The other day I was a student in a Vinyasa class. I was in the back corner of the room when the teacher led us into a long hold of a particular twist. I was really surprised at my view as I turned and took in a row of other students. Even knowing all I know about the differences in anatomy and how that impacts our asana practice, I don’t think I have ever seen a more perfect view of how much it matters.
“Yoga is the practice of getting comfortable being uncomfortable.” It’s one of my favorite quotes—even if I can’t quite trace its origin. I’ve seen it attributed to yoga teachers, Navy SEALs, and even Luvvie Ajayi Jones in her TED Talk. Its popularity across such different worlds tells me one thing: learning to sit with discomfort reaches far beyond the edges of the yoga mat.
We are wired to favor novelty. There’s a fair bit of professional study on this – we like things that are new and different. To be more accurate, “like” isn’t exactly the right word but it is fact that things that are new and different will draw our attention. We are all still kids with a new toy on Christmas day that leave it discarded by Boxing day.
I know I’m in trouble when I start getting sick, particularly getting sick with weird little things. I am pretty in tune with my body and when I get tired, my nose runs. It’s like somewhere in the early part of my existence my brain noticed that I would lay down and rest when my […]
I spent the first 28 days of January rising and shining in my online community space to guide the 1969 book “Richard Hittleman’s 28 Day Yoga Exercise Plan”. It was a fascinating exploration of yoga as presented over 5 decades ago, and a brilliant reminder of the timelessness of yoga. Each day offered an assortment […]
Time is a funny thing. The other day someone was stunned to find out I started yoga well over 30 years ago. Honestly, I started pretty young, but I’m stunned too. And then in talking to someone from my teacher training, we couldn’t remember how many years ago that was… I blame recent events because these last two years have been weird with time moving both oddly fast and shockingly slow.
I have always been fascinated by sparklers. It’s clear at a glance they have explosive energy, bits of light and specks of fie radiating in all directions – not at all the calm steady burn of a candles flame. And yet that display of raw energy poses virtually no threat and I can safely watch it burn, hold it just inches from my body, with no fear. I’m still captivated by the fire you can hold.
My take is that the goal is to honor the day with a powerful meditation. The more repetitive a thing is, the more likely we are able to turn off the focus on what the physical body is doing and get to a meditative space. So do 108 of SOMETHING.