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Sadhana Day Seven: the last forward bends practice

Sunrise with Gulls at Myrtle Beach

Sunrise with Gulls at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

It doesn’t seem possible, but there it is: we’re in the last practice cycle.

Today it was forward bends. Tomorrow we’ll do back bends, on Wednesday twists, and on Thursday, a restorative practice. Then the Sadhana will be over.

As the days go by, the practice goes more smoothly. Looking around this morning, I saw more focused work in arm balance, stronger headstands and more certainty in the standing poses.

So much in yoga still surprises me, and this perhaps most of all: all we have to do is practice, and the poses come.

Getting it perfect isn’t important. It doesn’t even matter if you do the full pose or stop at one of the numerous bus stops along the way.

As long as you show up, day after day, and put yourself mindfully into the shape of the pose, your practice will improve.

So far, the Sadhanistas have had no trouble showing up. Only four people have had to miss a morning, which, out of a possible attendance of 117 over the past seven days, is under four percent absentee rate.

No wonder the room looks steadier.

Photo from Flickr Creative Commons, courtesy of TheMarque.