Sadhana starts tomorrow: here’s the first day’s practice
I’ll be laying out my clothes tonight, hanging them on the hook in the bathroom in reverse order of putting them on. I’ll set my alarm clock, and then, if tradition holds, wake myself up three or four times during the night. It’s Sadhana preparation. Wouldn’t have it any other way. This year’s practice is […]
Morning yoga practice: if it’s so important, why is it so hard to do?
Google “images for important and urgent” and you will be rewarded with an unbelievable 3,200,000 results, many of them featuring the four quadrants made famous by Stephen Covey in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. On the off chance that you’ve been living under a rock, or shun self-improvement books on principle, here are […]
Sadhana, Day Nine: the last twists
This morning we worked our way through the twists practice for the last time. Tomorrow morning, for the 10th day of Sadhana, we’ll do a restorative practice. There was some discussion of starting late, because of the July 1 holiday, but it turns out that at least two people wouldn’t be able to come. So […]
Sadhana Day Seven: the last forward bends practice
Sunrise with Gulls at Myrtle Beach, South CarolinaIt doesn’t seem possible, but there it is: we’re in the last practice cycle. Today it was forward bends. Tomorrow we’ll do back bends, on Wednesday twists, and on Thursday, a restorative practice. Then the Sadhana will be over. As the days go by, the practice goes more […]
Sadhana Day Four: forward bends, take two
Sunrise at Devil’s Tower National Monument, Wyoming – not as steep a climb as getting up some morningsOne thing I wanted to accomplish during this sadhana was to reconnect with the joy of early morning practice – and joy it is. For one thing, the nagging little voice that says: “It’s time for practice, better […]
Sadhana, Day three: Twists
A New Zealand June sunriseThis morning when I looked outside at 5:15 a.m. the sun was already up, just hidden behind the perpetual cloud cover. I’m looking forward to the first clear blue-sky morning. Today’s sequence, as usual, wasn’t quite what I posted yesterday, although it was close. Chattush Padasana fell by the wayside. And […]