Lessons Ashtanga mysore yoga are teaching me.
Some of you may already be familiar with Ashtanga mysore yoga. For those that do not know about it. Ashtanga mysore style practice is a strict yoga system that involves practicing the same set of sequence of yoga poses every morning (usually at 6.30am), 6 days per a week. As your practice evolves and improves, the teacher will add more poses to your series (from a defined series of poses) and step by step, your body (and so much more) evolve.
Having practiced Ashtanga for almost 3 years, I become accustomed to a) people being impressed at how I have physically evolved in flexibility and strength and b) them quietly thinking I might be cuckoo for devoting myself to a daily practice at such an ungodly hour of each morning.
Having the devotion to do this practice leads me often to new inspirations and thoughts. You see, with daily practice you are constantly faced with challenges; can I bend forward and touch my toes? are my arms strong enough to hold my body in a handstand or arm balance? and is my back flexible enough to do what looks on the outside something that resembles a circus contortionist position?
Without fail, with practice and commitment the flowers of the lotus petal unfold and somehow you become capable. All of the things you thought to be almost humanly impossible (let alone possible for yourself), gradually reveal themselves to you, your body and your ability.
It is something always lingers in the back of the mind. Wow, everyone that knows me is witnessing this and I am changing.
Of course you are still the same you, so it may be too grand a statement to say that doing this inherently changes who you are. But there is a wisdom that has been stalking the back of my mind that I believe applies to not only the ashtanga practice but to life in general. We become what we practice!
This transformation slowly seeps into other areas of life. More self belief, untangling your own inner demons, confronting and overcome your fears and becoming ever more curious about understanding the very edges and far frontiers of your own personal comfort zone.
In Ashtanga this often translates to a new pose. I will never do a handstand, never ever ever, let alone press up into a handstand effortlessly as if the laws of gravity decided to not momentarily burden me. Never ever ever. This self limiting belief is there for many a practitioner, but nevertheless they continue to show up and try. And then one day (maybe after some weeks or months) it starts to happen and they evolve. Which is often rewarded with a new challenge (pose) to chase.
So despite self limiting beliefs, the mere act of persistence and constantly trying, helps us evolve until we become what we practice.
Lately, I have been dwelling on this for some time and pondered how often we apply this to other areas of our lives. How often do we believe things will be too difficult for us, so we shy away from showing up or even trying? And how often do we over look the fact that the impossible becomes possible through that effort. Not to mention the humility that the beginning will be littered with continually failing, until one day things begin to click and as if by magic, a lightening bolt awakens something. All of a sudden it sort of works, or half works and eventually does work!
We become what we practice feels relevant to the state of our mind, our attitude and positivity. Do we cage ourselves in disbelief or self limiting constructs that we, for example are not good enough for a promotion or bold enough to start our own businesses or witty enough to charm someone you have your sights on in relationships.
A person that evolves from a regular ashtanga practices is without fail always unrecognisable to themselves year from year. The change can be so vast that a mere mortal eventually seems almost like a world class gymnast comparatively. And perhaps this is possible for all aspects of our existence, as we become accustomed to meeting our edges ( or borders) and pushing beyond.
The purpose of this article is to invite you to reflect on what are you practicing on a daily basis and are those thoughts and activities directing yourself towards grand evolutions for yourself in love, life, career or hobbies. Conversely, to also be conscience that if we practicing negative traits, than ultimately they will only become better at becoming a person we less admire.
Are you what you practice? Does your mind allow you to feel imprisoned with a belief that some things are not possible for you. I invite you to change that immediately; Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you’ll and among the stars.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you might enjoy my next article: You are how you practice.
