Cultivating Discipline

Welcome everyone to your yoga practice in 2011. With the holidays past us and the snow still looming in the background, making a regular practice of yoga has become more of a practice in discipline than ever before. Not sure about the rest of you but the constant thread of snowstorms and the subsequent closing that accompany it have really caused me to be a little off balance and yes a little lazy. To continue to commit to my yoga has really been challenging. I have learned that discipline has less to do with accomplishment and more to do with intention and commitment. How does this apply on the mat? True I will gain a sense of accomplishment as I meet the challenges of a pose, getting into and maintaining a warrior pose for example. However, just as I am getting a little complacent in my pose, the teacher will point out some subtlety within the pose directing me to a new level of awareness. Once again I realize that in yoga, much like in life, the value of a disciplined practice. I continue to show up – honoring the commitment I made to myself and following through on my intention. In this way I am cultivating discipline, breath by breath, pose by pose. I do what I can and I commit to do it fully. In this way I learn that discipline is expressed by my intention to stay present in each moment. Namaste.