Life is a Journey

Life is a journey - not a destintation

Every day Yoga reminds us of this. If you view each posture (asana) as the goal of Yoga, you miss the journey. Not only that, but you are more likely to injure yourself during your practice. You cannot force or rush your body into positions, just as you cannot force or rush life to play out the way you want in the time you want.

You can work towards something, such as an asana or life goal. But the real practice is in finding the enjoyment of the moment you're at right now. Sometimes an asana remains unreachable, just as some things in life don't work the way we thought they would. The lesson is to still enjoy the journey and where you're at today.

When you unroll the mat and begin to breath and move, don't picture the end pose as something you must get into. Think of the poses as ways to slowly move your body in a given direction, but love the journey--whether-or-not you reach the final "destination".

For example, Uttanasana (standing forward bend) is a position designed to calm the mind, open the back body, and fill you with a sense of surrender. If it's not doing all these things, then take a closer look at your alignment (I can work with you on this). Your forward bend might be with knees bent, hands on your thighs, and a straight spine just tipping slightly forward from Tadasana (mountain). Or you might have your hands behind your heels, straight legs, and your head between your legs. Don't be surprised if you're somewhere between these two extremes!

Each moment, each day, your poses will look different. That's the journey. The lesson is in accepting where you're at in this journey, setting the ego aside, and enjoying it. This applies to all of life.

Namaste,

Kris Kramer
www.TotalHealthYoga.com
http://www.TotalHealthYoga.Blogspot.com

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!