Patience & Grace

I was thinking the other day how we all just want to get it.  Patience and grace are traits that sometimes do not come naturally to me personally and it is something that I observe in myself given the opportunity.  For which, I might add, are many.  Life has a way of testing us and testing our limits.  Testing how we handle situations, circumstances and relationships and when we handle these things with patience and grace we sort of feel like we handled it well.    When you catch yourself breathing through those certain situations that cause us to pause that is when the yoga is working in our life.  We may even feel like we are evolving and give ourselves a pat on the back.    So be it, it is well deserved.

The thing is, life is always changing.  People around us change, circumstances change, weather changes and we grow, we age and we evolve.  When I get on the mat, I know that all I can bring to my practice is what I have that day.  No matter how much experience one has, it is the same thing.    It is an evolution and every day we are learning more about ourselves and trying to find the peace within or just trying to get through.   The thing is that you have to keep showing up for it and showing up for life.  I mean you don’t say okay I get  this life and now I can go on and do something else.  You keep living right?  You keep having these experiences, through the joys as well as dissappointments and just keep on keeping on to see what is on the other side.   Yoga practice seems to be my metaphor for life.

I think that practice is about enjoying the evolution of the practice.   In Ashtanga, there are obstacles that are put in front of us, just like the tree or the live wire you sometimes have to step around.  You know that that tree that is blocking the road or the live wire will not always be there.   I started yoga on this day some years back not knowing how taking that fork in the road would play out.   I looked at it as a sign when the class started on a milestone birthday those years ago.  I remember the blockages, wondering how I could achieve the asanas that were put in front of me or even how I could possibly keep showing up for this.  I had my obstacles that’s for sure.   It is interesting to look at the evolution and ponder the years passed but then feeling like it was only yesterday that I could not stand on my head.  I keep showing up for practice and more importantly I keep showing up for life.   I don’t feel like I have to get it in one practice or on one day but if I keep at it, all is coming and what more do I need.