Yoga

Yoga is something I've enjoyed doing ever since I learned I was doing it already.  My favorite yoga poses are from the book Yoga Mind and Body from the Sivinanda Yoga Vedanta Center.  The shoulder stand is a pose I have been practicing since childhood.  I would do mock headstands by leaning back, kicking my feet in the air, propping up my back, and trying to get my feet as far up as possible.  This book fascinated me by its simple yet challenging poses.  Also, there are lots of vegetarian recipes that are very delicious.  After a few weeks of practice, I had gained tremendous flexibility and mastered the true headstand pose along with the other 11 asanas.

I don't practice yoga often.  My number one excuse for not practicing was lack of space.  The second reason was lack of time.  One reason I find it hard to start doing yoga after taking a long break is that the headstand (the first of the 12 asanas) is so challenging.  The headstand is not for the faint of heart.  It is hard to get into the position and even harder to stay there for long.  For the past few years, when I try to complete a headstand, the furthest I can get is halfway.  This is discouraging since I used to be able to do it consistently.  The problem is I don't do yoga consistently enough when I start it up again.

I went through the 12 asanas last night and did not feel bad about the balance failures.  When  I finally figured out how to do the headstand years ago, I did not succeed the first time I tried.  Nor the second, nor the third.  In fact I had to pace myself and work up to a full headstand in stages.  Remembering that helps me get through the yoga workout by focusing on getting a workout habit going.  I can't get better if I never start.