“This commitment was not about results, and it would hold up under the gravest challenges.  I don’t know exactly when I made the decision, or if the decision made me.  I do believe abhyasa is not something we earn or achieve through force of will; rather, it is an innate human capacity that we awaken through practice, through our willingness.  It is an energy that builds in our lives as we use it.  And it will be there for us in hard times if we cultivate it in good times.”

-Rolf Gates, Meditations from the Mat:  Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga

Day 9 – Being available to life is difficult.  We cannot plan for it, but we can practice it.  I do this through improvisational tribal belly dance, through crossfit, and, I believe, in many moments throughout my teaching day.  I’ve begun to be more intuitive in my yoga practice in the morning, more intuitive about my time off, and more intuitive in what I eat.  And, yet, like Rolf, I plan.  I’m addicted to all types of self-improvement mechanisms from calendars, to organizers, to lists, to books about habits.  However, I don’t know how to become a minimalist and just live.   All I can do is plan experiences that need less, and go there.  Breathe. Dance. Lift. Read. Sleep. Eat. Love. Is there really so much more to practice?