The Fickle Body

My alarm went off at 6:30 this morning, as persistent as always, and I got up to do my morning practice before the sun had a chance to heat my apartment to baking temperature. My practice was going well; my back wasn't as stiff as it's been the last few days and my hamstrings were more than willing to comply with my demands. The standing sequence flew by in a state of near meditation. Before I knew it I was on the floor and into the Marichyasanas. Tuned into my body but essentially zoned out from the rest of the world, I wrapped my arm around my shin to bind my hands and.... I couldn't reach my hands together! I haven't struggled to bind my Marichyasana B since I first started teacher training! I tried adjusting the placement of my arm, the placement of my feet, still nothing. So, I accepted defeat and moved on to finish my practice. While I was laying in Savasana at the end, it occurred to me how discouraging something like this could be for beginners.

I believe in yoga there is an expectation that once we've accomplished something, that's it. We can do it as long as we continue to practice. Unfortunately, nobody told our bodies about this theory. Every day is different. We are affected not only in the gross physical body, but our astral and causal bodies as well. Considering all aspects of my life right now, I imagine I just slept on my shoulder all night making it too stiff to twist my arm around my back today. However, it's also possible that all of those emotions I dealt with over the weekend (and discussed with you all on Monday) may very well have manifested themselves physically. It is common to get blocks in our system as the result of built up emotion. And yoga is the ideal way to release these blocks. There is a great article in Yoga Journal about it, Emotions in Motion. I highly recommend reading it!

So, to everyone out there reading, don't be discouraged if your body seems fickle in practice. Not only is it normal, it's healthy! Just remember to respect yourself - ahimsa every day!