Making Practice Different

I so often utter the phrase, “it’s always different,” when describing a pose. It’s always different because the moment is different. We have accumulated new experiences, knowledge, viewpoints, and physical shifts. It’s different because from one moment to the next, we are not the same.

Change is constant.

And yet as a teacher, I sometimes find myself getting bored. Bored wit a sequence, with poses, with asana in general.

I've reflected a. lot on this over the past few years of teaching. I tend to swing from one extreme to the other; at times engrossed and enthusiastic, at others feeling such or stagnant.

And the beautiful thing I've come to learn is that this process, too, is yoga.

Forever seeking balance and harmony. Being present with the moment, at peace with what is, AND noticing what brings excitemenet, engagement, and fresh perspective. Cultivating both contentment and holding space for the fluctuations of the mind and the heart.

How can we live each moment in gratitude, and at the same time cultivate a zest for life? This is the practice.

I've found for myself that the answer, like the question, often lies in duality and inclusivity.

On the one hand, cultivate the presence of mind and contentment through repetition. Explore poses again and again, and each time, view that experience as new. This is consistent with conventional yoga philosophy – that there is always something new to learn from what seems familiar.

On the other, be open to experimentation and variation. If something new feels exciting, lean into it and see where it takes you. That adventure may lead you back to what is familiar, but with a new perspective.

The more I pay attention, the more I see how these dualities feed into each other.

Repetition leads to new insights, which lead to exploration and experimentation. Exploration brings in new perspective. To integrate that perspective, we turn to what is comfortable and familiar. And suddenly those old favorites, the well worn patterns, seem all the more interesting when viewed through a new lens.

And so the pendulum swings. The cycle repeats. The journey continues.

The path is not straight, but it is not as fragmented as it may seem. It loops and winds and tracks back on itself.

But it always continues.