The pose begins when you want to leave it...

My Amazon account tells a story. I'm in over my head. And so I order books. I am grasping to understand. For, through understanding, I hope I will come to accept.

Acceptance is a live project for me right now. I'm trying to walk the walk. And this particular road seems all too often cruelly uneven.

"Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured,

and to endure what cannot be cured."

B. K. S Iyengar (1918-2014)

Amidst my reading, I have been trying to breathe. Breathing into stretches, seeking out the 'yield' the DVD's accompanying audio repeatedly refers to. For this, apparently, is where it's at.

This is the 'yin' of yoga. It's slow. And it gets stuck. 30seconds... 90seconds... 4 minutes. And rel-ease.

*SIGH*

It seems apt for me just now. My focus has shifted. The rules of this game require something other than strength. This is a long haul requiring stamina. And a whole of self belief.

Aesthetics have never caused me great concern from the sacred territory of my yoga mat. Whilst I may not have compared and despaired, I have often sought to push myself. And this is where I am learning a vital lesson: right about now I need to know my limits.

Remaining close enough to the edge between ease and effort is the task at hand, and my yin yoga practice is teaching me how to get into the zone, and stay there long enough to settle into the discomfort of what is.

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