A replay

Reading from Tuesday, August 4, 2015 yoga class

I have posted the following back in 2012.  I think it deserve another run.  I know that I am different in my body, mind and spirit than I was when I posted this originally and I think I just need to hear this message today.  Here it is:

"It's one thing to begin a yoga practice, quite another to keep it going.  Mr. Iyengar says that our practice "waxes and wanes like the moon."...There are times when you can't wait to practice, and practice feels wonderful; there are other times when the last thing you want to do is practice, and practice itself feels like a visit to the dentist.  Don't get discouraged if things don't go well for a few practices in a row.  Progress in yoga is never a straight line-- it's more like a spiral...sometimes loving and close, other times cool and distant.  Sometimes you'll seem to be making enormous headway, other times you'll seem to be sliding downhill.  Remember... from the famous Song of the Blessed One (Bhagavad-Gita 2.40)... "On this path no effort is ever wasted, no gain is ever reversed; even a little of this practice will shelter you from great sorrow."  Treasure the good times, but expect the hard; rest assured that every student, no matter how raw or advanced, experiences rough patches in the road.  These steps backward are often a signal that significant change is right around the corner.   Always take a couple of minutes at the end of a satisfying practice to appreciate how you feel, and remember this feeling during the hard times. If you miss a day or two, shrug your shoulders and accept it, don't beat yourself over the head." 
                               
                                                                         From the book "Yoga for 50+" by Richard Rosen