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One of the seemingly universal pieces of advice about spiritual practices: They take practice. Especially on the days when you don't want to, and it goes wrong and you are sure it's going to accomplish nothing. In one of Thomas Merton's books, he advises that if prayer always feels great, you're doing something wrong, because you need to pray through the bleak empty times as well.
One of the things I'm loving about yoga practice is the quietness of mind that I reach during it. And yesterday, when I woke up having a crap day, and didn't manage to start my morning practice until 3pm, I knew that quietness was probably going to be out of reach. And knowing that is probably one of the things that kept delaying me from trying. But I'm trying to practice every day during Lent, no exceptions, and I know that the days I am too busy/don't want to/feel useless are days that I really need to push through.
And then suddenly, when I was reaching for a forward bend, and realized I needed to let go rather than stretch, I experienced one of those shifts, and it wasn't just physical. More of an epiphany than a piece of quiet - and I realized that maybe letting go was what I needed for the problem that had thrown off my whole day.
I feel a bit more at peace this morning, and am going to try to carry the sensation of letting go and relaxing into the bend from my physical pose into my heart and actions.
crossposted to![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sun_salutation
One of the things I'm loving about yoga practice is the quietness of mind that I reach during it. And yesterday, when I woke up having a crap day, and didn't manage to start my morning practice until 3pm, I knew that quietness was probably going to be out of reach. And knowing that is probably one of the things that kept delaying me from trying. But I'm trying to practice every day during Lent, no exceptions, and I know that the days I am too busy/don't want to/feel useless are days that I really need to push through.
And then suddenly, when I was reaching for a forward bend, and realized I needed to let go rather than stretch, I experienced one of those shifts, and it wasn't just physical. More of an epiphany than a piece of quiet - and I realized that maybe letting go was what I needed for the problem that had thrown off my whole day.
I feel a bit more at peace this morning, and am going to try to carry the sensation of letting go and relaxing into the bend from my physical pose into my heart and actions.
crossposted to
sun_salutation 
