The Yoga of Adversity

A week in review- the Tripsichore Plus Practice Course

It's been a great, though difficult, learning process this last week.  Last week I was surprised to start the week with mysterious and extreme pains that were not present when I left Seattle.

 It was frustrating to  be unable to participate in the practice the way I expected/wanted, but these experiences always give me a greater understanding of my students when they are enduring the same stuff, so I'm grateful for the reminder.

The most difficult thing to do, along with keeping one's spirits up, is to find a way to keep doing the practice.  It's much easier to stop and start from mental perspective, and yet physically and yogically, the right thing to do is to stay with the breath and the practice.

The first week was a real struggle for me physically and as a result, mentally; as fun and exciting learning new things has been, the physical discomfort was demoralizing.  I would be lying if I said I did not think about quitting every day-- and night, since I was kept awake by the pain and a noisy neighborhood!

The additional burden of worrying that I was a disappointment to Edward and Nikki didn't help, but I kept going through the tedious and excruciating work of detailed refinement of Tripsichore breathing and alignment.

Over the weekend I spent a relaxing time with my mom and my best friend in the Cotwolds (English countryside) and didn't practice a lick.

Hesitatingly, I showed up again Monday.  It was the day of my "check-in" meeting, and I confessed my concerns about what Ed and Nikki were thinking, my performance, and my worthiness as a Tripsichore teacher.  They assuaged my worry, but the real message is to just keep practicing, no matter what comes up-- this IS the practice.

The good news is my aches and pains are waning and I'm starting to feel more normal, but those details shall wait until the week 2 review!

What I learned the first week is to above all, be humble.  The hardest work is not always crushing every maneuver, but navigating the way through practice with pain, difficulty and other limitations whilst maintaining attention to the practice of breath, alignment, and mental quiet.  Staying true to the breath practice is paramount, and breath is the best guide.  I also learned that nothing takes the place of persistence, and to just continue, because everything ebbs and flows- the good times and the bad.  I was reminded this morning when I ran across a BKS Iyengar quote:

"Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured."

Enduring and curing,

Liz Doyle

//LizDoyleYoga.com

Take a class with me- next session starts September 9, 2013

Maha Sadhana 

M/W 12N and 5:45P

https://m.facebook.com/events/532039330201285

Yantra Vinyasa 

T/Th 12N

https://m.facebook.com/events/468905803225524

Tripsichore Crash Course

T/Th 5:45P

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