Day 193 February 13, 2011

cleared brush in a field

Some things just cannot be rushed.  I find that reassuring somehow.  For example, I don't have to hurry up in order in to learn yoga.  My body can only absorb so much new information about yoga asana practice each day.  In Iyengar yoga you are retraining the nervous system and that can only happen with repetition; it cannot be done like a sprint, in only a few seconds.

As a beginning yoga student you cannot announce to the world, today I will stand on my head effortlessly for one hour.  Well you could make that announcement but it would only prove that you are a bit of a lunatic.  No, in yoga asana practice you must earn your rewards of finding ease in some of the poses through steady attention to details and through steady application of your willingness to practice.

This reminds me of when a young student working with clay on the potter's wheel for the first time would tell me, I want to make a vase with a small neck.  They may have wanted to make a vase with a small neck but they didn't realize that the skill required to make such a vase would not magically appear during their first lesson.  It would only come with much practice.

Just like creating a field out of a forest.  Clearing a forest of trees to begin the transformation of the soil into a fertile field takes a lot of effort.  It doesn't happen in twenty seconds, or even in one day.  So slow down and relax while you make your art work, slow down and relax when you work on your yoga asana practice.  It will come.  Find your patience.  And remember to laugh at yourself.  We humans are very funny.