So, why 1042?  Well, I reckon that’s about how many weeks I’ve been practicing yoga on a regular basis — meaning more than 3 times a week for 1042 weeks, give or take. It’s been a while…. And I think, for me, it’s taken such a firm hold because the learning is endless and I’ve had a long time personal credo, going back way before yoga entered my life, that is “if I’m not learning, I may as well be dead.” Learning is the zest of life. It keeps it interesting, challenging, inspiring, and fun. And the well of yoga (and Buddhism) runs deep. For all intents and purposes it’s unending. I like that. It keeps me motivated to keep learning. 

This week was no different. I learned that my sense of self can be up, down, positive, negative, emotional, not, and so on and that’s OK. And what I mean by that is that it’s what I do with it — how I respond to these things — that makes all the difference. In fact, I don’t need to respond at all, but rather just let it be. Now, I know this may not sound revolutionary and maybe you’re like “you didn’t already know that?”. But, here’s the thing. Yes, I “knew” it. But, this week, through my practice (Tergar’s Joy of Living Level 3) I feel like I was able to truly, at least begin to, fully understand and embody it. This is one of the monumental benefits that I feel my meditation practice cultivating within me. An opportunity to abide in greater neutrality — in a useful way. So, not zombie-like, but rather, able to make space for more joy and more ease. It’s pretty cool.

Another thing that came up was this. People don’t want to be uncomfortable – meaning, we do everything we can to maintain the status quo when we think we are comfortable. For example, there’s a widely held belief amongst the conservative Midwestern-values crowd that others – LGBTQIA+, black and brown people, immigrants, etc – basically anyone that isn’t white, American born, Christian, straight and self-sufficient – are a threat to their “way of life”. It makes them very uncomfortable to be confronting anyone that is different from their accepted norm. I see this first hand through the community in which I was raised, so I’m not speculating. I know this to be true and I have personally felt the resistance. Equanimity practice challenges us to get uncomfortable. And again, another benefit of practice – to glide through discomfort rather than resist and struggle through.

From a physical standpoint, asana practice has been so-so. Sometimes I go through periods wherein my low back just isn’t happy and this past 7-8 days has been like that. So, while my ankle is improving and my knee is a little more agreeable, my back was like “oh, hell no”. All good though, I still managed to get in solid internal focus on the mat and I’m feeling optimistic about the upcoming month of practice in Mysore, India (January). And it was great to spend a few days down in Miami working with Tim and practicing at Miami Yoga Garage. 

The trek in Nepal last month was a bit of a wake-up-call on the physical level. I didn’t feel as strong or fit as I always have. So, when I got back from Miami I did a thing. Jury’s out, but I had an assessment with a coach over at CrossFit East Nashville. The coach - Vince - was great to work with, knowledgeable and observant. I was impressed with the experience in a positive way, so I went ahead and signed up for their Elements package so that I could do four one-on-one sessions with Vince to learn more about how they approach the workouts. First one is Monday. I’ll keep you posted….  ;-)