09/01/2020
"ANY AMOUNT OF YOGA DONE IN ANY WAY IS GOOD. JUST GET TO THE MAT AND DO SOMETHING"
Very good read below. ππ
https://www.facebook.com/188603781159750/posts/2840442735975828/
Dear David,
I practiced Ashtanga daily for 5 years but as I was finishing my degree I let my practice go. I am 37 and have two young children and work as an RN. I gained 20 pounds and feel like I lost my flexibility (in many ways). I have been trying to practice lately but have been discouraged with my weight gain and lack of strength. I feel like I have entered a vicious cycle of wanting to find balance and hating what I have become. Do you have any words of advice on how to get back into my practice and losing some of my self-hate?
Hi_______
It is good that you wrote me, it took some courage on your part! For one thing, you must persist. Everything will get better. The practice is a very strict master. You can learn a giant lesson from leaving it for such a long time--the lesson is DON'T STOP.....find a way to prioritize your practice because it gives you that much. Right now you are feeling the loss of it (that is natural) but also now you have to get to work. Return to devoting a portion of your time to it. Try your best to put aside the 'bad' thoughts that you are having. Part of how you can do this is to get back in the routine of practicing. Be consistent, put in your time, and then you'll be able to quell those voices by reminding yourself that you are now doing your best to take care of yourself.
The slow steady effort is going to pay off. Just watch and see, within 3 to 4 weeks you'll begin to notice positive changes, and within 3 to 4 months you'll really see a positive difference.
Don't be too hard on yourself. Keep training your mind on what you can do. And remember the lowest practice common denominator, ANY AMOUNT OF YOGA DONE IN ANY WAY IS GOOD. JUST GET TO THE MAT AND DO SOMETHING. Train your mind to gravitate towards what you can do--be stubborn, don't give up, or give in to negativity.
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