Practice and all is coming -- Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
End of June
June has come to an end, and with it, Yogadiva's Sun Salutation and Meditation Challenge. This challenge involved starting each daily practice with the same number of sun salutations as the day of the month ... one sun salutation on the 1st, two on the second, and so on until you get to thirty on the 30th. Daily practices ended with half a minute of meditation for each day of the month, building to 15 minutes today, the last day of the month.
I actually completed* the challenge, and I feel great about it.
*Note: Well, maybe I missed a -few- days of the challenge, but I always got caught up the next day.
So, what did I learn? Well, I wasn't quite as devoted to the challenge as I imagined I would be. But I really didn't like missing days, and I always returned to the challenge. It's like climbing a ladder -- if one step is missing, climbing is a little harder. If two steps are missing, things get really tough. Miss too many steps, though, and you might be done.
I also learned a little more about meditating. First, there is no comfortable seated position that I can maintain for long periods. Second, that it is OK to lie down (I chose a sort of reclined cobbler thing -- crap, I just googled "reclined cobbler pose" and found out it's also called "Goddess Pose", for whatever that is worth). Third, I think I was starting to get the whole meditation thing. 15 minutes didn't really feel that much longer than 5 minutes, and I was usually mildly surprised when time was up. It was nice to just let thoughts float away and stay focused on my breath. I really should make the time to continue exploring meditation.
So, all in all, June was a great yoga success for me. Thank you, Yogadiva!
I actually completed* the challenge, and I feel great about it.
*Note: Well, maybe I missed a -few- days of the challenge, but I always got caught up the next day.
So, what did I learn? Well, I wasn't quite as devoted to the challenge as I imagined I would be. But I really didn't like missing days, and I always returned to the challenge. It's like climbing a ladder -- if one step is missing, climbing is a little harder. If two steps are missing, things get really tough. Miss too many steps, though, and you might be done.
I also learned a little more about meditating. First, there is no comfortable seated position that I can maintain for long periods. Second, that it is OK to lie down (I chose a sort of reclined cobbler thing -- crap, I just googled "reclined cobbler pose" and found out it's also called "Goddess Pose", for whatever that is worth). Third, I think I was starting to get the whole meditation thing. 15 minutes didn't really feel that much longer than 5 minutes, and I was usually mildly surprised when time was up. It was nice to just let thoughts float away and stay focused on my breath. I really should make the time to continue exploring meditation.
So, all in all, June was a great yoga success for me. Thank you, Yogadiva!
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Comment by lilalia on July 2, 2009 at 12:13am - Chris, what a great challenge to meet. It must truly seem like an accomplishment. The Goddess pose does sound a bit more uplifting than the reclined cobbler thing (smile). Your words have very much got me thinking about meditation and its benefits. Glad to read the update. bye. Lia
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