365 Days of Yoga - Day 11

Early afternoon class today. Not much to say about it except that it was...excellent. That thing happened where at the end of class I actually felt a whole bunch of muscles in my body relax, which I didn't even know I had, let alone that I was tensing them.

Something deep and good is happening with my practice...I don't know how to express it other than that there is an internal shift taking place and these handful of days without a break from practice (usually I take 2 days off a week, sometimes 3 if I'm busy) have been a larger...window into that experience. There is something about doing something, anything, everyday. It's like when you first get into a serious relationship with someone and you begin to see your own repeated patterns of behavior in a totally new way, because you are doing these things in the presence of someone else. I guess in that case, the other person becomes your witness. And if you are paying attention, sometimes just the addition of that witness can help you to change bad habits. In this case...I don't know...my mat becomes my witness. My teachers are my witness. The rooms where I practice become the witness. My practice becomes the witness. And if I let my practice in everyday, I am, in the same way I am in relationship to other people, confronted with myself and my patterns in a different way.

It's a good thing, I guess is what I'm saying.

Tomorrow I get on a bus early in the morning and drive four hours to Stockbridge, Massachusetts (pray for good weather!), where I will spend 3 glorious days at Kripalu. I've never been there before, and I am very much looking forward to it. I'm actually going because I got a little yoga modeling gig (doing a photo shoot for their publicity materials, etc.) and my payment is this (much much appreciated) little mini retreat. I'm excited to do it, and am hoping maybe I'll end up with some cool professional yoga pics as a result!

Wish me luck!