The Grace of Practice
Seriously. It’s the thing that has been a steady YES in my life for the last 25 years. Yoga and sitting practice.
One rainy afternoon in NYC, in late October of 1992, my life changed. I walked into the Jivamukti Yoga Center on 2nd Avenue, full of doubt, heartache and discontent. Various things were not going the way I planned or wanted, and I found myself feeling jaded, cynical and stuck in a rut. A friend had recommended yoga to me months before, and I finally decided to check it out for myself, not unreluctantly, somewhat ready to be disappointed…again.
On that day, I discovered a seed of grace, faith, and beauty that has remained ever-present for me in some form. I found a way of communicating with myself that simultaneously touched a deep place of longing and also felt like a homecoming. I found practice.
As a trained professional dancer, I understood the value of disciplined practice, and the benefit of exploring a body/mind “puzzle”. What felt so different to me about Yoga and meditation was the absence of a goal/performance/presentation. This created a pivotal shift in my perception, which at first was not altogether exciting. It was hard to orient toward my inner witness, to practice without striving or reaching for something different or better. It took a long time for me to realize, in an embodied way, that Asana (the physical aspect of Yoga) was a gateway toward a different practice, the practice of sitting/witnessing/holding spacious awareness.
The most important thing I would like to relay as a teacher is this–
Practice. Now. Not next week or next month or in 5 years when you think the timing will be better. The timing is always perfect or terrible, and that’s the thing–practice is practice. It’s about showing up as you are–joyful, expansive, faithful, inspired, clear, distracted, heartbroken, angry, confused, resigned, or apathetic. It doesn’t really matter, the practice is here as a way to engage with ALL OF IT. We don’t have to be better or more in shape or happier or even in the mood. We DO have to show up to get the benefit. We have to be somewhat willing to look a little deeper, to feel a little more, to be with our distraction and discomfort.
I’m not saying this is easy. It often isn’t. But it’s what we’ve got. We’ve got this body, this mind, this tender heart, and the capacity to take some action in relation to our suffering. The action I often take is practicing. I invite you to join me in this. Come as you are. You are most welcome.
In addition to ongoing weekly yoga classes, I also offer counseling for women, and bodywork.
Check out the other pages on this site and email me here to set up a free phone consultation.