sunday

a handstand hand from my sweet friend julia skerry

A few days ago, I posted a link on my facebook page to a lululemon blog called 'The Pursuit of Handstands'. It's a really great article, and if you haven't read it yet you can find it here.

Boy, can I relate to that article. When I was 22, my teacher suggested to me that I consider teacher training. I remember thinking she was crazy because I couldn't do a headstand, my heels didn't touch the floor in downward dog, and the list goes on. But this one excerpt from this blog pretty much sums it up: "I’ve realized that the discipline of a regular and consistent yoga practice is much more important and difficult than mastering one advanced pose." I'm happy to report that three years later, I can do a headstand. My heels can touch the floor in downward dog. I can do a lot of things now that I couldn't do before. But what difference does that make anyway? I certainly don't feel like a "better" yogi because of it, and the more I learn about yoga the more I realize I don't know about yoga. Here's another quote I love from the blog: “There are no final yoga poses. There is always something to learn, something new to explore, something we haven’t yet experienced.”

I used to think that when I could balance on my forearms I could call myself a yogi. Or when I could do a full hanumanasana I could call myself a yogi. Again, the list goes on. But after years of consistent practice, I think I'm finally starting to see the bigger picture. The fact that I unroll my mat everyday and practice with my heart and soul is what makes me a yogi. That goes for all of us. Never sell yourself short, don't give yourself limitations. You are limitless. Keep on keepin' on, friends! You can do anything.

Namaste.