As anyone who practice regularly knows, in yoga practice, just as in life, there are good days and bad days.
There are days when we flow from posture to posture with ease and grace, in love with our body and with life, enjoying the sweet fruit of dedicated practice, and the days when we drag ourselves along, wondering why on Earth we got out of bed so early to stand on that stupid mat. And there’s everything in between.
In my asthanga days, I used to love these days when the body, like a well trained horse answering the wishes of his rider on the subtlest of clues, flows effortlessly through the practice, strong, flexible and sure footed. And sure, don’t we all love these ego boosting practices? We crave for more of them.
But of course it doesn’t work that way, and it’s just as well because yoga bliss is not what practice is about.
Over the years, I have come to realize that the practices I learn the most from are never the nice, easy ones. The days when my body is stiff and unyielding have much more to teach me that the good ones. These “bad days” are when I learn where by body is tight and needs to open up. It is when practice is a struggle that I learn to be humble and kind in the face of my own limitations, and sometimes my pain. These are the practices that teach me patience and perseverance, the days when I learn the fine art of letting go. And they are also the days when I most need the care and support that regular practice brings.
Meditation practice also has its ups and downs, of course. Days when the mind settles easily on the breath while the body rests comfortably in the posture and we bliss out for the whole sitting. And days when the whole body aches and the mind wander endlessly from one worry to another while we wait for the final bell.
And again, the “bad days” are the one when, faced with the darkest and most uncomfortable side of my own mind, I learn most about it and how to deal with it.
So, did I have a nice practice?
Yes, thanks, I feel all the better of it.
