PATHWAY TO PRACTICE
by Anna Delury
Practice is all about getting started. Set aside all the other cares in life with grace and awareness.
Surrender to practicing. Begin.
Let practice be practice. It won’t feel like class. The buzz of the group, the dynamics of the teacher, the words filling your head aren’t there. Practice is a journey you take by yourself.
“Deserving” is a hidden barrier for many of us. The story goes like this: “I have so much to do, so many pressing obligations. Others are depending on me.“ But … what about your health, your balance, your growth? You deserve a practice which is good for you, which makes you a better you for others.
Live inside your practice. Let your practice live inside of you. That way you aren’t just a visitor and yoga is not just a casual friend.
Focus on what you gain: stability, balance, strength, endurance, pain management, well-being. What do you value most in your practice? Carry it with you.
Plan ahead. Use your planner, calendar or computer schedule, and make an appointment with your practice. Making practice periods real makes them do-able. Be realistic. In the natural rhythm of the day, look for 10 to 15 minutes that can be consistently yours. Hold these times as sacred. Now, during the ups and downs of the week, the time you need is already there, waiting for you.
Find a space. It can be small, a corridor beside your bed; it might be large, a room. Just make it pleasant so it invites you in. Keep your books, notes, a prop basket there, encouraging you to come close.
Know yourself. Some of us practice only when things are bad; others only when all is going well. Put aside fear, concern, mood. Practice regardless.
Set your intention. When I first think about practicing I let my mind carry me to what I love in yoga so that I am already there: I have started and my body follows right behind. And sometimes my body leads me into practice and then my mind catches up. Either way begin and the rest will follow.
Create a ritual. Try this: Start every practice the same way - with the invocation or the same pose - so that a clear demarcation between the world and practice exists. Enter your practice with faith.
Start small. If you are just learning to practice, begin with one or two poses you like. And be satisfied for the time being with that. It takes time to build physical as well as psychological stamina. Practice evolves and grows. Be patient.
Mix it up. If you always practice only what you “feel” like, switch it up and do a sequence from Light On Yoga or a recent class. If you only do what you are told to do, stop. Listen to what your inner world is requesting.
If you miss your practice don’t beat yourself up. Don’t punish yourself with shame and recrimination. It’ll backfire on you. Instead, do one pose and savor it. Aslo consider rescheduling to a time when you can practice that day. Confirm your next scheduled practice time, just like you would a lunch date with a friend. We all get thrown; the important thing is to get back on track as fast as you can.
Take a day off, the same day every week. Even if you had to miss another day, keep your day off. In the hustle and bustle of modern life we forget that even God took a day off. This day builds a psychological desire for more yoga that nourishes the coming week’s practices.
To thrive, be kind….to yourself. Rigor comes from this nurturing. Have faith. Be patient. It will come.
