30 Day Challenge Week 3

Week 3 was all about snow, snow and more snow! Despite the 2 hour delays, snow days, and shoveling, yoga still happened. Could it be? Have I managed to make yoga something I do everyday?

Rainbeau Mars had an impact on me this week. I shared a link to a beautiful, sequence by Rainbeau Mars that cannot be described in words. The conversations that followed were mostly of awe and also the feeling that many of us have only scratched the surface of the depths of yoga. Her video is both inspiring and humbling. When someone wondered how long she had been practicing I decided to check out her website. I never really found the answer to that because when I got on her home page I stopped to look at a picture slide show of her with quotes across each picture. The first one I saw was “If not now, when?” That one struck me and I couldn’t get it out of my head. If not now, when? The phrase felt both powerful and simple, another ‘ah ha’ moment for me during these 30 days.

I’ve been using the phrase as a mantra when I meditate or when I hesitate to do something. Because really, if not now when? Week 1 taught me that I was stuck. The mantra from week 3 is pushing me both on the mat and off. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone more this week with poses and in looking at life.

My Practice

I have a fear of falling on my head in crow prose. Over the weekend I decided to try it again. The voice inside me said “what if you fall on your head” and then I heard “then you’ll get back up” so I tried it and I did it! And I held it too. By saying I held the pose, it might have been 3 seconds, but that is 2 more seconds then usual. I tried several times and got up each time and stayed up. I wasn’t in alignment, my knees could have been on my shoulders better, blah blah, blah, but I DID it!!!!!

The confidence encouraged me to do head stand at the wall, which I do like, but haven’t done in awhile. Again, I kicked up and felt great. After resting in child’s pose, I kicked up again and came away from the wall and stayed without support! Woo hooo!

When I lowered back down and settled into child’s pose I heard the voice say “welcome home” and I felt so good I wanted to hug the mat! And in my mind I did. As I rested in child’s pose I remembered why I started yoga and that was to relieve sciatic pain. When the pain was gone I told everyone that ‘yoga saved my body” After several years of grief and stress, I have the same feeling that yoga once again is healing me, healing my spirit.