Sometimes we all need a kick in the pants. For quite some time, months really, my asana practice has been less than stellar. I went from teaching 4 classes a week to teaching 8 and with three kids on different schedules there just was no time. After hearing a Kundalini Yoga teacher share her story of committing to 1000 days of a particular practice, I realized that was just what I needed - a commitment to myself shared with a few others close to me. According to Kundalini tradition it takes 40 days to change a habit so I decided to start with that (1000 days is almost 2 and 3/4 years!). But what would I commit to?
I'm keeping it simple: 40 days of Sirsasana (headstand), Sarvangasana (shoulder stand), and Setu Bhanda (bridge pose) increasing the time in head stand and shoulder stand by 3 seconds every day. Today was day 23 and I'm up to 7 minutes and 13 seconds- which, by the way, is brutal but 5 minutes sure is easy now!
A few days a week I'm getting up early and getting my commitment done while the rest of the house is still sleeping. Other days, I get it in before and/or after a class I'm teaching or just before lunch or dinner. Some days I look forward to it. Other days, I dread the dickens out of it. But as I sit here enjoying the effects of a headstand and shoulder stand that are 69 seconds longer than when I started and knowing I can drop over in to Setu Bhanda without breaking anything, I realize the beauty of a daily practice. Mine is not long. On good days I add in a few other poses but even if I just do these three I feel better for it.
I intend to complete the 40 day commitment and will continue to focus on a small handful of poses in stretches of 21 days or so at a time. I'm not picking easy poses. I'm choosing poses that I either don't like or can't do well; no longer running from what scares me. Assessment is around the corner (October 5) so bring on Virabhadrasana III!
And not to worry, I will never commit to blogging every day for 40 days...
