“Being still does not mean don’t move. It means move in peace.”
― E’yen A. Gardner

Day 2 – Rolf invites us to allow his books to “awaken [us]…to be a light that shines in darkness, guiding you through your days, pointing you home.”  I begin anew on the first four limbs (tapas, or spirituality in action)–practices which refresh the body, refine the mind and bring peace to the heart.”  It is an invitation to meet the pressures of life with equanimity.  The stillness of my morning is sweet, and regardless of my practice, dance or weights or yoga, it is–like Rolf–the stillness which is the “first thing I bring my conscious attention to.”

Tapas includes yamas and niyamas, asana and pranayama.  This is my daily ritual.  It takes restraint and discipline to get up at 4 a.m. and get to it.  It takes wisdom and honesty with one’s self to know when to get extra sleep or a day of indulgence.  There has never been a clear line between obsession and habits for me, so I have to work at building positive habits without judgment.  Letting go of expectations, labels, and restraints I put upon myself takes precedence.

Nonetheless, I love the newness and possibility of the morning.  I love the stillness and the silence.  I love the movement within the early hours from the stirring of the pets to the push of the A/C button in my daughter’s bedroom to the not-so quiet snore of my husband to the gravelly meow of Furball demanding he be put on the counter.  I love the sound of the trees rustling and waking up to the opportunity of light, still in transition, moving ever so…ever so gently into a new day.    I love the way it feels cold and damp on the grass as I lure our old dog, Winnie, outside–even though it is (like today) still hot and dry from the previously record high day.

It is here that I begin my day.  In this stillness.  Pranam. Practice. Technique. Strength. Stretch. Breathe. I am getting set to take on the day with equanimity, balance, poise, and positivity.