Do the Work

"It's 3 a.m. again, like it always seems to be."

Although it's not. It's actually 6:30 a.m. and I am inspired to write and go to the gym, after my tea of course. But the above is a song lyric from gentlemen born in South Africa with a folksy, earthy taste to his fingers and tongue. I like him. Sometimes there are more important things than working out. like yoga, or drinking tea or laughing with a child. Okay fine, that one was just added in there to fluff it up, I 've been playing around with my descriptions and style, and well... there was new flavor. I practiced the best yoga flow I have practiced in over two years yesterday. I breathed into spaces in my side body and hips I forgot were there. Those spaces where the air turns cold as it swirls around and I cannot dismiss that fact. I was more centered, I was more peaceful, I was strong in my core. So much I even went into un-assisted shoulder stand! If you don't know what it is, google it. For someone (me) who has avoided ab/core work as long as I can remember, my ability to do this yesterday seemed only a direct result of the work I had been putting into that area over the past year. It feel good, beyond good. The almost unnoticeable trembling muscles in my core made me smile a deep and satiating smile. So like I said, I'm sure my attitude had something to do with the greatness and depth that came along with my practice yesterday. Progress. A different space. We opened hips, we strengthened the shoulder girdle, the core and the quads. We did new poses and of course, Shavasana. It's the easiest and everyone's favorite, you "lie on your back, in stillness, and reap all of the benefits of your practice today." Most people fall asleep, who doesn't love Shavasana?

So today, yoga didn't make me angry. I didn't shake my head no and refuse to do a pose like a small child, sitting on my mat on my feet, glaring off into space. Today, I embraced my practice and that moment fully. Seems I have spent many days on my mat lately allowing anger to move through me, I am grateful for those days because they allowed me to have this day. Do the work.

Oh and my favorite part? She ended our practice by telling us to walk with Grace & Gratitude...