Practice Anyway

(Benjamin J DeLong /Flickr)


Today during my yoga practice, I entered into trikonasana easily, and it felt wonderful! Extension! Expansion! Rotation!

Ahhhhhhh, bliss.

Later, I got to thinking about my history with that particular pose. When I began practicing yoga to balance and strengthen my body and relieve pain from scoliosis, triangle pose was by FAR my least favorite pose. Everything hurt, it wasn't fun, and I struggled to breathe. It was extreme discomfort, filled with intense discomfort, stuffed into failure, every time. At least that's what it felt like. And honestly, it felt like that for a really long time. I kept practicing because I knew if I could improve in this particular pose, I could use it to retrain my body and to relieve pain. You guys, there were YEARS of challenge and discomfort, of feeling like improvement was not happening. And yet, it was. And now? It's a tool, it's a resting place, it's my favorite pose some days!
When we're pouring energy into changing habits, we feel all the work and often aren't seeing results the way we want them to arrive. You know, NOW and FULLY. But, whether we're working to change the way we move, respond to stress, communicate with others, care for the health of our mind/body/spirit, nourish our space, feed our creativity, manage our funds or our time,

the truth is that every practice counts.

Even when it doesn't turn out the way we hope, or it isn't as long as we'd want, even when it's a little ugly, and when it just isn't any fun, we are learning and growing and improving our skills. Whatever you're working on right now, I wish you a steady practice. Bring in your breath, bring in your patience, and bring in the knowledge that you are getting there.


Dana Wyss Healing Arts
Breathe deeply, practice often, be well.
http://www.danawyss.com/