The Zen Dog...

..He knows not where he's going for the ocean will decide..it's not the destination but the glory of the ride!

It's been a while since I last blogged, in fact 18th April was the last post, scary how time passes... Since then I have done so much, done soooo much yoga and my practice has changed its form a zillion times in the meantime!

I could go on about my recent yoga holiday to the mountains of Portugal, and how good my teachers P & S were. I could go on about how they pulled me back from brink of yoga injury (AGAIN!), and how much they're simple but beautiful life in the mountains taught me so much about how I want to live my life; but I wanted my first post back on the blog to be simple and to just keep it in the moment, because as we all know, it's not about the past or the future but about the NOW.

So yesterday and today's teaching practice was lovely (I'm helping at 2 classes now), seeing how the students are coming along so well, especially the ones who have begun their journeys whilst I've been helping in the room. Still, it makes me smile and remember where I have come from since I began my practice, to see the struggle in attaining certain postures, losing the rhythm of the breath in the hope they will reach their toes...or what they believe is their utlimate destination... I must admit that I hate being "reigned in" by my teachers. And to be honest all of them I have practiced with have done it! Portugal was an experience, P reigned me in so much; stopped me from even attempting any "knee crushers" or any postures which put any ounce of strain on my still very delicate joints. I kept this up for a few weeks after, but such is the cycle of life I am pushing myself once again, because my knees feel good...for the moment anyhow.

How long it took me to realise I should be like the Zen Dog... to realise that the destination is actually non-existent (unless you're set on reaching samadhi or ultimate freedom from the restraints of our physical lives) and that for most of us it's about the glory of the ride, the experience of each day of the journey towards it which should be our objective. I think it was the experience of profound pain which allowed me to realise this truth, but obviously I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but I just hope that the students who I've seen grow within such a small amount of time will realise sooner than I did, to be able to truly enjoy the experience of each single yoga practice...