“I can say conidently that a reasonable measure of control over appetites, coupled with some knowledge of the mighty mechanism and a befitting consitution proved a surer and safer way to spiritual unfoldment than any amount of self-mortification or abnormal religious fervour can do.”
Gopi Krishna

Kundalini – The Evolutionary Energy in Man

Yoga Readiness

n

Sometimes getting on the Yoga mat is not as appealing as I’d like or imagined it to be. Especially after years of practice, superficially rewarding changes in the practice are rare and replaced by subtle & intimate revelations.

Sometimes it’s very difficult to get to the mat, but feels good to be on it. Sometimes it’s difficult to get to the mat, and wrong to stay on it. Sometimes it’s impossible to even approach the mat. Sometimes it’s impossible to read my readiness to practice – so there are times I may not practice when I could have or practice when I really shouldn’t.

This morning I stumbled on to another tool to clear my clouded perception. I asked myself “Do you appreciate being here, in this moment, on this Yoga mat?”. I looked down and found my feet bathed in a warm beam of morning sunlight – and the answer was “yes, I do”. Asking the question sent me on a path of introspection and observation. If I can’t answer with a clear “yes” I shouldn’t be on the mat, I should probably be doing something else, creating space, allowing appreciation to resurface.

There’s a good chance that asking the question not only reflects on my present consciousness but also alters it, in which case it is not just a readiness-test but a great opening posture for my practice.

This entry was posted in Yoga, Yoga & I, Yoga & Life. You are welcome to read 1 comment and to add yours

One Trackback

  • By Wanting to Practice | iamronen on June 6, 2010 at 9:39 am

    […] All of the students that came back for more lessons and who had guilt-trips about not practicing were constantly thinking about Yoga. They wanted to do their practices. Wanting to practice is a practice. Wanting to practice should always be the first “posture” in any practice sequence. […]

Leave a Reply