Listening

My body is screaming for rest. My neck is sore, ankles are worn out, my hips have been achy for days. I don't feel mentally tired - but physically, I feel like I could sleep for days. As such, getting on my mat today was a no-brainer, but what to do once I got there was a big question mark. At first, I was going to push through, get it done, and force my body to learn to recover. Then I thought - maybe I'll do my salutations, then do a seated meditation and pranayama work. I did my salutations - 5 A and 3 B, they felt alright, but tiiiired. I ended up grabbing Swenson, and working through the 45-min short series. It was exactly what I needed. It moved through almost all the main postures, working through the whole body, without the 3-4 variations of each.

As I sit here now, reflecting, the words of (again) Dr Stu McGill echo in my head, "be a dimmer, not a light switch." Moderation is not my strong point - but keeping up this daily practice is forcing me to face it. Some days, going all out just isn't available, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't even bother at all. It goes back to Satya - truthfullness - accepting that this is where I am today, so this is what I'm going to work with.

On a semi-related note, it has been interesting to notice just how much yoga translates off the mat. The more time I spend practicing yoga ON the mat, the more I notice myself practicing it OFF the mat. I don't think it comes from actually moving through the asanas themselves, but rather from setting aside that time, making the commitment, and living up to it. Its about putting into practice everything we've learned and studied in YTT.

As I said yesterday, I think, these two hours every morning are like having a head start in battle. Its a chance to clear off the battle field, mend the wounded, reload the guns, and reinforce the fort before the enemy is even out of bed.