Skip to main content

Good Friday

Friday, April 10, 2020 (Part I),
You'll notice that there was no yoga yesterday morning, as I witnessed a hit and run outside my house around 5:00AM (true story).  I'm sitting on my couch nursing my coffee and BAM!.....

I jump up, peer out through the blinds, and see a car furiously backing up (making cartoon like tire-screeching noises), and then speeding off down the road.  My neighbor's car, which was parked on the street, had been smashed into.

I immediately called 911 and reported it.  After all the hub-bub and fuss was over, it was already 6:30AM, and it was time to get ready for work.

Enough about the melodrama of yesterday morning, however....

Today, I woke up at my usual 4:15AM and, as I type this it's 5:13AM; no hit and runs to report this morning, so I'll begin as I always do, with prayer and meditation before moving into my Asanas.  Physically, mentally, and spiritually, I am feeling calm, peaceful, and balanced this morning.  Time to begin...

Friday, April 10, 2020 (Part II), 
I'm writing this update post-practice. 

It's back to being chilly here in St. Louis (high 50's), which is standard Spring weather.  This did not have any impact on today's practice, that I could see, however; the other times I went to my mat this week, the temperature was much higher, and I noticed a marked improvement in my flexibility.

Some of the un-motivation that I was feeling earlier this week has lifted.  I don't know why, but I felt keenly motivated to hit my mat this morning.  For anyone who wants to learn more about one of the eight branches of yoga, take a snoop through the list of asanas/physical postures here; an excellent beginners video on Sun Salutes/Surya Namaskara can be found here.  My daily routine of asanas is below:

All in all, this physical portion of my practice usually takes me about 50-70 minutes to complete.  While I feel like this physical portion of my practice is important, and brings about a lot of necessary change in my body, I believe that the non-physical side of my practice is infinitely more valuable to my growth and development, both as a person, and as a practitioner of yoga.  

For those who celebrate it, Sunday is Easter, and today is Good Friday.  Spring is a wonderful time to see physical representations of growth occurring; growth must continue in our hearts and in our minds as well, and there is no growth without a bit of discomfort.  

I'll leave you today with a Korean proverb that I keep at my desk; 

"Be strong, be kind, and be beautiful"

Namaste

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rebuild

Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Woke at my usual 4:45AM this morning for coffee and contemplation. Feeling wonderful this morning, and not terribly sore at all.  There's a bit of stiffness in my back from yesterday's backbends, but that's to be expected. Ready to sweat it out on my mat. Tuesday, July 10, 2018 (Part II) I'm writing this off my mat, already showered up for my day. I love going to my mat.  The physical challenge alone is reward enough, but, while I've said it many times before, the mental and spiritual adjustments that one can make are priceless.  Physically, I already see a difference in my body.  Arms are still re-building their stamina, but the twists and forward bends I incorporate are already helping with digestion and elimination and the general "deflating" of my body and G.I. track (TMI, I'm sure, but this is one of the main physical reasons why I practice). Mentally, I feel prepared for anything that comes my way today and fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sleeping In

Wednesday, August 24, 2017 Woke at my usual 5:00 AM and then slept for another 20 minutes.  No big deal. I'm feeling grounded, stable, and balanced, even before hitting my mat. To stay on schedule, I'll hit my mat in about 30/40 minutes. Wednesday, August 24, 2017 (Part II) I not only slept in this morning, I didn't hit my mat until 6:30 AM (30 minutes after my normal time).  I was productive, however, and used my coffee fueled morning motivation to tidy up around my place and take care of some chores that I'd been putting off for a while. When I finally did hit my mat, I began with my standard 5 minutes of prayer and meditation.  After that, I began my standard warmup.  I moved into my formal practice feeling wonderful; no aches and no sluggishness, as I felt yesterday. I finished with 3 beautiful Upward Bow poses and am writing this after having just come out of Savasana. I feel balanced, strong, beautiful, content, solid, gentle, and indestructible. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rebirth and Regrowth

Friday, December 28, 2018 Still enjoying the marvelous holiday break from my normal routine. I still wake around a normal time, but I'm writing this pre-yoga-post at 10:06AM. I already feel the positive effects of my practice.  My mind, and its thoughts are more stable and reliable, I'm physically seeing changes in my body (even after two days), and, even though I'm still eating a fair amount of unhealthy food options, I'm not feeling as "sludgy" as I was earlier this week. I'm going to meditate, pray, and warm up before I begin my practice. Friday, December 28, 2018 (Part II) Three days. Three consecutive practices. Three completely different experiences. The title of today's post is "Rebirth and Regrowth" but I only really felt that way at the beginning/Part I of my post.  As I write this Part II section of today's blog, I feel very different from how I was before.  I feel solid and steady.  I feel like I'm galvani...
Post a Comment
Read more