What does asana teach us?

Mindfulness, awareness, attitudes, humility, patience, our limitations, our abilities, confidence, joy,balance, looking inward...

Why the sudden, uncharacteristic reflection on asana? Something got me thinking about this. That something being my compulsive, misaligned and sudden push I am just forcing controtinto ustrasana today, causing yet another crick in the lower back...I have been doing pretty well with the backbends lately, remembering to engage uddiyana bandha, engage the hamstrings to avoid external rotation, and basically going further in most of my backbends in a very comfortable way. So I was very disappointed that a moment of unaware compulsive behaviour could cause another little niggling ache in the SI joints.

But it just teaches me that I need to be aware every moment of what i am doing to my body. Listening inward and being super aware seems the key to yoga practice. Without it, I'm just forcing contortions and punishment on myself. So...as a lesson learnt, I think I need to reinforce those things in myself. From now on, I am going to pay attention, and really balance the ease and effort.

Not much to add to that except that yep, my jump backs in Surya Namaskaras are good...and almost floaty, my backbends have been phenomenally good the past week, and baddha konasana is a pretty consistent head to floor without that much rounding...

The practice works and I see my body change and feel the effects and improvements. Funny how things have been going better lately...compared to just one year ago, I still struggled to bring my torso to legs. Incredible things can happen...and I just want to tell myself that good things will come somemore, with an aware, consistent, patient and balanced practice. Improvements just creep up over time, and you beging to realise that anything is possible...so now I just want to get rid of that crick, and I'd be happily on my way again....