I think I can, I think I can....

Happy National Yoga Month! I didn’t even know that there was a month dedicated to yoga, but I’m happy to be enlightened. (Buddhist joke!) I have decided, literally three minutes ago, that I will make September a true celebration by getting my yoga on every day this month. Fortunately, I practiced at home last night, so I’m already off to a good start. I was pleased with myself: I was so angry and frustrated after my last post, and I knew I needed to do something with all that energy. (My Facebook status became, "Fuck, I need some yoga," which earned me a gentle but deserved admonition to watch my language.) So, rather than bitching or (worse) taking it out on Red, I retreated to the basement and rolled out my mat. After 30 or 40 minutes of Sun Salutations and restorative poses, I felt a million times better.

I could have chosen an easier month. We’ve got the reception next weekend, and one of my dear friends is flying in to spend a couple days with us. Free time is already at a ridiculous premium. But how is that any different from usual? There will always be conflicts and obstacles; it’s up to us to decide how we engage with them. Do we bulldoze them over, or work around them? I usually try the latter, which is why I’m pretty confident I’ll be able to manage 31 days of yoga.

Actually, this couldn’t have come at a better time: today, Eco Yogini declared her Personal Practice Adventure, her commitment to practicing at home at least one day a week. I realize now that framing a goal as a challenge galvanizes me. So often I flake out of doing yoga because I think it’s somehow more “authentic” to do it in a studio, where the lighting’s perfect, the music’s ethereal, and everything smells like a head shop. (Yeah, sometimes my house smells like that too.) This is a way for me to get back to what’s real, to focus on the process instead of the product that yoga is so often treated as.

I’m not fooling myself into thinking I’ll be practicing for an hour each night. Some days, I might have the time or energy for only a few Sun Salutations and a brief Savasana. Maybe all I’ll be able to do is hold Down Dog for a few minutes before bed. It’s the intention that I’m after, the awareness that I take my yoga with me wherever I go. Anything else is just icing.

I don't think I'll ever be able to do this one. Photo ripped from ashtangayoga.info.