Tuesday, March 2, 2010

spring into yoga!

  "Practice and all will come!"

I don't know about where you are but there is a distinct feeling of spring in the air here in Cambridge. The days are definitely longer and brighter, the bulbs in the garden are all poking their heads through the soil and the air feels lighter somehow, more oxygenated! This Yogini definitely has a spring in her step, awful pun very much intended.

I'm sure you've all heard of WoYoPraMo. World Yoga Practice Month is usually January and the yoga world all pledge to practice every day. I did not take part this year as I spent the first week of this January coughing up my lungs with bronchitis.

Besides I've never practiced every single day of the week. I believe in at least one rest day a week as a time to allow the body, mind and breath to assimilate the practice.  I also think that it is vitally important not to set goals that are unachievable.  It takes a very strong person not to feel a little let down by themselves if they have not achieved a goal that they have set.

A five day per week practice sits perfectly with my life right now, and so for the month of March I want to continue with my five days a week, but I want to focus specifically on poses that I have a tendency to avoid.   These include Baddha Konasana, Janu Sirsasana and Dhanurasana.  Those things we choose to avoid are often the things we need the most, so I will be working on these postures as mindfully as I can (rather than cursing myself in my head!) and keeping in mind my thoughts on 40 days of Ahimsa by being gentle with myself and not pushing or straining.  Just being in these postures that I so dislike. 

Spring always reminds makes me think of the word "bloom", as everything is just bursting, ready to bloom into life.  And that is exactly what I want to be happening on my yoga mat right now.

I would love it if you would join me dear reader.  No earth shattering goals, nothing you can't stick to but if, like me, you practice regularly, try to practice at least one posture you don't like (and we all have them) every day in March.  If you practice yoga but not as regularly as you'd like, try to put aside 20 minutes 2 times a week (my 20 minute practice might come in handy here!).  And for those of you who have never tried yoga before, why not go to a class, any class, just once sometime in March!


I'd love to know how you get on so do share!

~~~~

This blog is on the move to its own URL. I will be double posting until Monday 8th March and then the whole blog will move over to SuburbanYogini.com.

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5 comments:

babs said...

It is starting to feel like spring here, too. But, I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I'm sure it will snow again! Great challenge to practice those poses. I'm not sure if I dislike them or forget about them...but, janu sirsasana is definitely one of them.

Namaste_Heather said...

I am in . . . Spring is in the air, even if we do get more snow! January and February are now almost a year away. Yay. I am an optimist at the core ;-) I also posted today about Domestic Witch's Random Acts of Kindness Campaign. It all just feels so right! Namaste. Love. Peace. Joy. Light. I am bursting with energy!
Smiles . . .

kiwibok said...

We're about to 'fall into yoga' down here in NZ, as our wonderful Summer is starting to show signs of coming to an end.
I'm up for the March challenge though and my pose I want to practice (and get closer to mastering!) is Ardha Chandrasana - I have such a mental block about it but I know when I practice it regularly and find my balance, it is such a wonderful pose to 'be' in. I also want to practice headstand and shoulder stand more regularly as I know how wonderful the benefits of inversions are, especially to the immune system as winter approaches.
All the best
x

Rachel said...

Great stuff ladies! Don't forget to keep following at the new URL http://suburbanyogini.com

Unknown said...

I am working on reducing my schedule and practicing more myself. I have had a hard time with taking on too many teaching opportunities and I have let my own practice slide, trying to cram it in when I could. Whew..hard..tired.
Yoga Vibes has been great for me though - have heard of them? Check out my site for a giveaway class.
http://tiffanytheyogini.com
Love your blog, will set up an RSS feed for it.