PhotoCredit: Balancing Act
I recently lost my yoga practice. Poof, gone. For over years now I have been practicing almost daily and then, I just stopped. For the life of me I couldn't get started. Hike, yes. Run, sure. Yoga, nah. Big fat pass.
Then like magic it came back. It's early days but I know I'm wired for asana again. It's like connecting with an old friend, except we are not quite picking up where we left off. I fear I have lost a little strength.
I found over the years that daily yoga is an excellent way of checking in with myself. Some days my balance is off. Some days I don't feel strong. Some days I don't know my left from my right. Well, that last one is most days. I was acutely aware while I wasn't practicing, I wasn't checking in with myself. There was no place in my life when I was gauging where I was against my baseline.
When we were young we were told that we must practice to improve. With practice came the implied promise of perfection. Perfect output and perfect people? As I grow less young I relish how imperfect I am. Frustrating as that might be some times. Practice helps me understand that perfect is the wrong aspiration. Practice grounds me in this moment and allows me to be everything I need to be, here and now.
Coming to my mat each day is a checkpoint. For you it might be journalling, playing an instrument, cooking, coding or organizing your closets (that's my other favorite practice). It's the thing you do regularly. Hopefully daily. Where the doing is what is perfect. The doer is anything but perfect. Just like this doer. Perfectly imperfect. Wink.