Sunday Yoga

Practice this morning was different. In a good way. There were no intentions or purposes or goals or really any issues to resolve during my asana session. Although thoughts did arise, most, if not all of them, were pertaining to my practice. I was more focused this time around. Focused on myself. Focused on my breath. Focused on my movements. Focused on my practice and nothing else. It was peaceful and calm. Perhaps it is due to the fact that I was solely focused on the asanas and me doing those asanas that allowed it to be so tranquil. I'm not quite sure. 

It could also be due to the fact that I had no music playing, no app to keep time, no bells to let me know when to start my finishing sequence. It was just me on my mat. Going at a pace that felt right for me, for my body at this particular moment. If I needed more breaths between Surya Namaskars I took them. I took time to actually listen to my body. I could tell you the exact moment when my heart started to beat faster and harder (It was right as I was coming out of utkatasana-chair pose- in my second Surya Namaskar B ;-).  I felt it in my thighs when I lunged deeper into a variation of virahadrasana-Warrior I. I felt my spine elongating and my arms holding me up for dear life. I could feel deeply the heaviness developing my thighs as I brought them up from adho mukha svanasana-downward dog. It was beautiful. No thoughts, no distractions. Just me, my body and my mat. 

As a result of this increased focus on me, I was able to mentally slow down. I'm not sure if I can articulate this into words, but it was like this. I have normally have a tendency to speed up in all aspects when I'm going into my sets of Surya Namaskar B. My breath speeds up, my pace speeds up, my thoughts speed up. I mean everything. Probably, because its still a little demanding for me. 

But today, as I would come down into the second chaturanga dandasana of Surya Namaskar B, I was able to mentally think or...no,no,no...mentally slow down all the processes with the simple thought of breath slowly and deeply. It only took a split second and then there was calm throughout. I rose into upward dog, calmly, still at a steady pace, but it mentally felt much slower, almost like some pressed the slow motion button on an old school VCR. 

I attributed this simply to the acute focus I had during this session. I've never been so focused on anything in my life. So focused that no other thoughts arise. That's a miracle in my book as I am a natural worry wart constantly thinking and planning. I know this may never happen again, but I'm grateful and appreciative of this experience. For it gave me a glimpse of what a yogic life through focused and consistent practice can do for me. But more importantly, that I'm capable of doing it.