Monday, August 29, 2011

it's been a long time... i shouldn't have left you.

Hello blogreaders. It has been a very long time, and much has happened.

I haven't been posting because I got a new boss at work - he has been working me pretty hard and I haven't had any space left in my brain for blogging after work is done. The past month has been exhausting. Working late, working weekends, working working working... At least it pays the bills.

When I haven't been working, I have been preparing for a kung fu tournament coming up this saturday! I have been training really hard, and between training and working, I'm afraid yoga has been pushed to the side a little bit. I began the month of August with a plan to only to maintain the yoga I had and not push things at all.

Yoga is pretty ironic. As you may remember, I have been really working hard at getting consistent binds in Marichyasana B. When August began, I decided to stop caring and stop getting frustrated with Mari B. Instead, I'd just do my time and attempt the binds and be completely unattached to the result. The first practice that I approached with this mindset was actually pretty incredible. Without being attached to the postures, I found myself focused solely on breathing properly and deeply, and using the postures as tools for relaxation. My forward folds were not as deep as usual and overall the practice was not as physically demanding, yet it was satisfying in a different way. When it was time for Marichyasana B, I inhaled slowly, exhaled softly, reached, and my fingers met without any effort. That which I had been straining for months to accomplish I finally reached by letting go of the effort. Yoga really is a unique practice.

Anyway, as the month went went on, I became consistent on both sides in Mari B and moved on to Mari C. I can't get the bind on Mari C without considerable wrenching on the part of my poor yoga teacher, who I outweigh by at least 40 pounds. But at least I'm not frustrated by the whole thing anymore. I haven't been practicing that consistently either - just once last week, and I missed practice already today. But I have been getting good sleep, eating properly, working hard, and training my little kung fu heart out.

Yoga will still be there when I come back to it in earnest.

Monday, August 8, 2011

a confession...

I didn't go to yoga today... and it felt so delicious.