Krismas In Kovalom

Dear Katie and Friends at City Yoga,
Happy Solstice and other Holiday Greetings from southern India.

As many Ashtangis already know, there are times in our practice when we just have to be willing to sit back for a while and take it easy - ahimsa for the body - for ourselves. It's often a discouraging to do so because, at least in my experience, a big part of me is driven by seeing improvement in my practice. So when the body rebels from time to time and decides it needs a break I have needed to be ready to hear that message and be willing to accept it. That's where I am again now in my practice. For many of us in the Ashtanga community injuries seem to come and go. In India (as elsewhere) it is common to meet people practicing Ashtanga and begin sharing stories about injuries, past or present. Currently I have overcome an 'issue' with my left knee only to have had to completely modify my practice in order to respect a complaint from my left shoulder. This set-back is personally frustrating because I have wanted to stay as healthy as possible while here - afterall, it IS India. But at the same time this injury offers me an opportunity to reflect on how fortunate I am to be able to enjoy Ashtanga at whatever level of accomplishment or modification. There is also the metaphorical element of things happening on Indian time. the hotel room I stay in promises hot water (24-7), but the first four days the water heater was broken - "no problem sir electrician coming, fixing." Well, yes, I had hot water four days later. Many mornings I wake up and there is no water at all (the hotel 'boy' forgets to turn on the pump and fill the resivoir on top of the hotel so all of the rooms have water). "No problem sir, now pump running, few minutes water coming, no problem." In the bottom line is our ability to 'go with the flow' and accept what is. Whether this is an interruption with a daily routine or an interruption with a yoga practice. In both cases the most important thing is not to lose track of the focus on the breath, the bandhas and the dristi. Then there is total enjoyment of the present moment. I don't think it's particularly easy but it is the constant challenge. always lessons to be learned.

Looking forward to practicing with you all soon.

Jai Mata Ki,
Lars