Hey,
Its good to be back. I haven’t wrote a blog post since end of last year. As previous blogs have stated if you have followed my journey. I was very frustrated at my Ashtanga/ Mysore practice. Being a beginner at anything can be tough and especially when you don’t allow yourself to ‘enjoy’ being a beginner. I also didn’t want to accept that starting anything new you are not going to be good or even half decent immediately or even for quite sometime. After a particularly rough day with Marichyasana D I gave up. That was last November. I broke down in tears and said to myself I do not have what it takes right now to keep doing this practice. So I left, I knew I’d be back I just wasn’t sure when.
Fast forward to May this year and I had dabbled with other yoga classes but nothing fitted and my extreme nature needs an extreme practice. Its just who I am. I had thoughts about returning to Ashtanga. I just wasn’t sure if I could sustain what it takes. That means actually truly committing 100% to early mornings, 6 days a week no excuses.
A lady I knew through social media and friends was opening a summer Mysore pop up here in Toronto on The Danforth very close to me and I figured it would be great to support someone starting their own studio/shala and also go back even if I could only just look at the summer. Sometimes its easier than thinking forever.
I returned a month ago and Im happy to say that I have committed and made it in the mornings. I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I could wake up at 5:30am but I am and I actually like it a lot. As for my practice, I am letting myself be a beginner and enjoying it and not comparing myself to others and just enjoying my practice where ever I am that day. I have had a neck injury that I’ve battled this month and I still went and practiced (obviously we modified it and some poses were a no go) but I still practiced.
I am grateful for a wonderful encouraging teacher, my fellow ashtangis who I practice along side every morning and just being able to move and do this practice of Ashtanga.
Namaste
Alison