Getting back to the point

On my very first day of yoga school we were asked the question "what it is yoga"? Besides its literal translation of meaning to yolk and to bind, what resonated with me was when my teacher Jasmine described yoga as a way of always returning back to the point.

You may ask returning from where and to what point? To me, that point is one's center of being. I know that for me, I so often get swept up in the storms of life's happenings. Recently, that has been being pregnant, having a baby, taking care of a baby, not sleeping, sleep deprivation, stressing over a messy apartment, dirty dishes and accumulating dust; worrying about money, worrying about saving money for baby, and so on and so forth. Life happening. Yoga is about returning from those storms to a place where things settle and we find a moment of clarity.

My favorite yoga sutra is atha yoganushasanam, it translates to now begins the study and practice of yoga. When is now? Well, it's now! It's always now, meaning that we can always come back to the beginning, no matter how far you may wander, now is always a great time to get back to the point.

Today I rolled out my mat and practiced some asana (yoga poses) for an hour. It has been a while since I have properly carved out some real time to do what I would consider a proper yoga class sequence. And it felt grrreat!

I've always had trouble committing to a home practice (yoginimama my ass I hear you say)! Well it's the truth, even during yoga school, when I was eating and sleeping yoga, I found it hard to commit to it. ND has been pretty consistently sleeping a solid 3 hours every day in the late morning. And I've kept saying to myself this would be a great time to get some yoga in. Well I finally cut the rope connecting me to that huge stone of inertia and got my yoga on.

Getting back on the mat is now more crucial to me than ever before. And I don't have the luxury of going to my favorite teachers' classes. This is the true test of my relationship with this practice that I regard as essential to my well being. I had always wanted to get my teacher training before having my first child. And as life happened I did get to have it that way. So I have the tools to be my own teacher. Now is the time to really develop my own practice. The challenge is exciting but scary and feels lonely, as up until now I've preferred to be in the classroom with other students being lead and inspired by awesome teachers. How do I draw up that same kind of energy in my living room?

Now begins the study and practice of Yoga.