The Warriors

Repetition begets fluidity. Every flow slightly different than the one before leads to bodily anticipation that gets brought up short when attention is required to shift.

I find my mind wanting to lose itself in endless repetitions of checking hand placement, shifting weight and deepening into each pose, craving a break from the physical demands of moving through a flow whilst reveling in the precision of solo practice.

No one there to call out transitions but me and my breath. I lengthen my inhalations and exhalations to prolong the posture. It is challenging bliss.

The warriors shifting from upright to crouched and finally springing into flight…I rarely practice them in succession and discover a tempo that seems to guide my feet and body through the transitions without having to think.

I have become so much stronger and balanced in the last four months. I trust my body so much more. Pains and cramps that disabled a pose before I could explore it in stillness have evaporated. I find myself with ghost sensations of limitation and know that I must continue creating a new A track if I want this expanding flexibility and strength to become a permanent reality.

There is so much room to grow into, even as I marvel at how my body is responding to gentle suggestions of movement and arc.

I restarted my yoga practice to become strong enough to hold my boy, to keep up with life’s physical demands and inspire myself to deepen into being human. What I have discovered is a dynamic vehicle for holistic discipline and a daily experience with grace.

This particular practice reminds me of the eternal dance between balancing the body, tempering the mind and resting in spirit.

It is difficult to adjust yourself when you are inside the pose. Without a mirror in the perfect place or a set of eyes to watch over you, it is more important than ever to truly play with the elements of asana. How does the body respond when you shift forward, raise the arms higher, stretch from the hip, externally rotate the shoulder?

Warrior III still provides the opportunity to explore fundamentals of any pose. Can I stay upright on one leg while bent at the hip, reaching both arms to fly before me? Can I remember to breathe?

It fascinates me to see the different levels of mastery I have achieved between different poses. How a body can move so freely on one plane and have such rigidity in the same pose on a different angle. I become more and more convinced that working with asana is a direct way to encounter karma in all of its facets and manifestations. Quite literally, working out your own salvation through twist, bend and lift.