Stew

So it's been about 6 months since I practiced with any semblance of consistency. Walking to the metro in the morning, there's a crispness that is starting to linger ever so gently in the air.

What did I learn in these 6 months?
First and foremost, that a consistent yoga practice is a wonderful thing.

Also, learned and accept that I miss Ashtanga - I miss the comfort of it, the discipline, the regimented nature of it. However, I'm not ready to go back. Padmasana is just starting to feel comfortable on my right hip again. My asthma is settling and have not been waking with breathing difficulty though the night.

Instead of throwing myself deep into it - it's going to be a methodical return. If I went back now I think it would only be frustrating and aggravating and I would probably do myself more harm than good. What good is it to only go two days and then take two weeks off?

On average it takes a good 2-3 hours to make hunter's stew or beef bourguignon.

An hour and a half for a ratatouille.

For some things, there are no shortcuts and/or no substitutions.

So I'll continue to methodically blend some aspects of Iyengar and Ashtanga, throw in a little Vinyasa Krama here and there. Maybe a smattering of something else, just to change it up.

Let it all simmer for a while.

Release through Constructs

The comments of Carl and Yogiconomist, really got me thinking.
Maybe it's a combination of the two.

A duality.
A release and a binding.

Maybe the strict discipline and regimented lifestyle of an Ashtanga practitioner is no longer needed within the context of my daily existence. But there is still a need and desire for a daily practice, for that discipline and mindfulness, release within a construct.

Nothing light of a quandary to be sure.

Ashtanga allowed me to lose myself in something that wasn't work, that wasn't family, that was completely outside of where I came from in order to forget some, to remember some, but ultimately to really begin another stage of healing.

To form an intense bond with something which joins physical expression with that mind-shift coveted by most artists - is nothing short of a remarkable experience.

It stays the same, I changed.

At a workshop with M. Manos in RI at the end of June, he said something that really stuck with me. Paraphrasing: These practices can allow the world to open up. For some that path is solely asana, for some it allows many new experiences to open up. Just go with it and enjoy the ride.

Nothing that wasn't understood at least intuitively, but the validation from an outside force is always welcome.

Right now, what I think I need to learn is self-discipline within my current context, constructed by me to allow all the plates to spin to their optimal degree.

Yes, there are a plethora of great teachers and classes here in DC - but then practice is structured around and reliant on an another's existing time construct.



How am I going to really get going in this new art thing,
if I cannot even find/schedule 90 minutes on my own, let alone 30?

Renegade Flooding.

Wish I had my surfboard.
Might have made getting to work a bit easier.

Like Spinning Plates

Only 1 plate missing.
Asana.

Part.

A week or so ago Bindifry had this great post.

I've kept on rereading it, especially given it's relevancy over my current bit of on-again-off-again Ashtanga practice AYC. I’ve been trying my darndest to draw boundaries, allocate time and find balance between work and life and yoga, this I know I need to work on but at the same time, some things are out of my control.

I have only made it to AYC for practice 4 mornings since my last post.
No apologies.

Moves happen.
Document reviews happen.
Allergy season happens.
Dreams happen.
General life happens.

Somewhere in the mix, practice has continued on my own, snippets here and there on a new hardwood floor in the only spot devoid of cardboard boxes. An Ashtanga practice slowly evolving into something more of Ashtanga-Iyengar cross breed.

There's something about the discipline of working though something with body practices that start to make sense in terms of "real" world applications. Look at any artist or performer or scholar or high power attorney or captain of industry, they devote the bulk of their life to their Art, more often than not eschewing convention for what they feel inherently is right for them. Body/movement arts seem to tap into this at a base level, cultivating a desire and a system of application.

Over time.
Equilibrium is reached. Granted, more often than not it's a dynamic equilibrium, but equilibrium nevertheless.

Passions develop over time and deepening occurs.
Cultivated by those who we choose to surround ourselves with, by getting us to look at what we're doing and our true motivations.

Also, give a healthy dose of reality, or at least turn it on it's head.

Two Years...

320 Mysore Style practices.


Sweet practice this morning with a free standing Tiriang Mukhottanasana.


* * *

I proclaim this upcoming year for me: the year of Lolasana.
I will get my butt off the ground.

Flights of Fancy

I walked around the office yesterday with a little smile knowing that, like all the best superheros, I too have a secret identity that few know about or understand within my corporate environs.


[I also had forgotten how awesome it is to fly.]