A New Approach

I had a very strong home practice today, perhaps my strongest to date. And I did it without any preparation - I just focused on poses that I need and do not necessarily like. My focus was primarily on hip openers; something I have not been able to do much of since breaking down at the John Friend Workshop in LA a month ago (not without considerable anxiety anyways). It felt really good, empowering even. I also focused on some sitting poses - I intensely dislike these! They didn’t hurt as much as usual, but I definitely had to remind myself to breathe which helped immensely. I even incorporated some handstands and headstands.

I started and ended practice with an invocation - something I rarely do unless at the studio. I topped it all off with some journaling. Now if I can just keep it up! Honestly, I think it helped to have a beginning and an end, it extended my practice time to about a full hour without the journaling - not bad for a home practice. It was nice to spend some quiet time outside enjoying the day. Even better to be doing yoga while enjoying the day and the garden patio.

I’m feeling very happy with myself, quite the accomplishment really. I think have come to a place where I need to opt for a home practice more often (skipping studio classes a couple times a week) - shorten my asana practice time just a tad and take that extra time, plus what I gain from not having to travel, and use it to add consistent meditation and journaling to my practice.