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One thing that keeps me ‘buzzing’ about the practice of yoga is attempting and mastering new asanas.
I am walking a bit taller this week, not only because I am creating space between my discs with a regular practice but the satisfaction and achievement of another elusive asana that was, at one time, in the too difficult to do box…
The thing is, I haven’t even been attempting Firefly after the first few dismal attempts. Once you’ve lost balance and unceremoniously rolled backwards for the fifth time, you realise your body is trying to communicate to your brain. Park that then.
And this is the fascinating thing with asana practice. By it’s very nature it is a holistic practice, not just focussing on one body area or a particular attribute, but every connecting tissue, joint, nerve, organ, muscle, fascia and on and on..
When we engage in an asana practice, we work within our limitations, maybe playing the edge a little and exploring the body. If we follow a balanced class and are mindful of pose and counter pose the physical form will naturally acclimatise over time.
The asanas are complimentary, my failure at Firefly initially was mainly down to a lack of strength in the arms and core and tight hamstrings through running and biking, recognition that this just won’t happen with the body I had was a good thing. We have to be honest with ourselves, however progression through other, more accessible asanas, have released some of the tightness and built the strength to a point that this elusive asana is now accessible with the body I now have.
I may not be the serene yogi when into the pose, every sinew is screaming and the breath is certainly not relaxed, we are still work in progress, but it is nonetheless another small goal accomplished.
And this is the point, I believe that we should set ourselves challenges, goals, to strive for, continuous improvement as they say, on and off the mat.
Whether you are just starting out with yoga, or are a seasoned yogi, we are all improving and continue to do so, which is a great comfort and immensely satisfying.
This attitude permeates into our lives, building confidence and making us feel good about ourselves. Who’d have thought a humble firefly could have such an impact….
Now for koundinyanasana……
