A Brush-Your-Teeth-Practice

The Elder and I had our long overdue lunch today. We chatted about this and that and of course, yoga.

She asked about my practice and I unloaded my triumphs and frustrations. I told her how I had finally been able to do the seated sequence in one go, instead of breaking it up into two parts, because the energy it absorbed left me beyond exhaustion. I grumbled about how my navasana resembles not the Titanic but a sinking sampan (a typical Malaysian fishing boat). I fretted over my urdhva dhanurasana , which would sooner earn a spot in The Reject Shop than in William Tell's hand.

The Elder laughed and laughed and laughed. Somehow she finds my yogic maladies more Mr. Bean than MacBeth.

Then I mused over the fact that Ashtanga is still very much under my skin and how a daily practice has woven itseld seamlessly into my life. She nodded and smiled.

"If you want to truly enjoy ashtanga you must have a brush-your-teeth style of practice. One that has become a part of your life. One where the question of whether you should do it or not never arises. Only then will you build flexibility, strength and stamina."

A brush-your-teeth style of practice. I like that!