Everyday Asanas

I recently heard that it takes 12 years to master a difficult yoga pose.  This news can be disheartening if you are just beginning to practice, as you may be asking yourself which pose isn’t difficult in yoga?  Given the technology we use daily, hourly or possibly every minute, we have become accustomed to a sense of immediate gratification.  It is hard to imagine attempting to stick with something that we will not understand the full benefits of, until years from now.

So why push forward?  I know why I do.  For me yoga does not end as I roll up my mat.  If I am paying enough attention yoga is how I start my day, it is how I make my way through my day and it is how I end my day.  I say this because yoga as we know it today is comprised of a group of “asanas”.  An asana is any position you can hold with ease, creating a stillness within yourself.  For many of us we immediately think of savasana or corpse pose, a traditional final resting pose in yoga.  While others may think of a favorite pose that brings with it a mind cleansing feeling.  For me, I also take this concept into my everyday actions; reading to my children, talking with my husband on “date night”, calling my grandmother and walking my dog, are just a few of my favorite everyday asanas.  While some days these activities may seem more comfortable than others, they always leave me with a sense of stillness provided I take the conscious time to recognize them.

This is why yoga works for me.  As I practice on my mat, continuing to strive to master new poses, challenging myself with new ideas, I know I can relate this time to my everyday life.  Whether on my mat or in life, some asanas are easier for me than others.  Yet, I find the ones I really take time to step back and reflect on are the ones that inspire me, give me confidence and teach me to not always take myself so seriously; thereby providing me a new way to look at the world.

~The divine in me salutes the divine in you, Namaste~