Saturday, October 11, 2008

Don't rush, take your time.




At last, Sunday's here. This week has been pretty good. Have been practicing astanga yoga with the students and they seem to have responded well. It may seem defeating first but with constant practice, I am sure each individual will come through in the end. It does require a lot of arm strength and the ability to do some 'locks'. I look at some of the students and some seem quite disappointed when they aren't able to achieve the full results. With yoga, it requires constant practice and patience.

A student asked me how long did it take me to get into most of the poses I did, I answered honestly,"I practice often as much as 4 to 5 times a week before becoming a teacher. And even now, I still have to discipline myself to practice."

I wasn't able to touch my toes when I first started and felt like I was going to 'throw up' when I first did my downward dog. I looked at other students around me and felt so hopeless. What kept me going? It was perseverance to touch my toes!!!

So, if you go to any yoga classes, don't feel so overwhelmed by the postures. Instead, be encouraged to keep practicing and know that you will get to where you want to be. Don't rush into it, enjoy each and every improvement you get from each pose. It's like in life, some days can be good, some days can be bad, but overall, be patient enough to get through to the better days.