Personal Practice

Under the Grand Teton


I am often asked how frequently I practice Yoga. As a teacher and a student, I feel like I am always practicing, whether I attend a class, practice at home, or try and be as awake as possible while walking down the street. What practicing means to me is quite different than what it might mean to you. Though we all have the same basic body parts, we are unique. Gary Kraftsow wrote "...we are nonetheless unique in our structural, physiological, and emotional functioning; and though we all have certain deep constitutional tendencies that remain constant, our own condition changes from day to day."

With this in mind, it is time well spent to examine and explore our personal needs in our Yoga practice and life practice. This is an art, the art of personal practice, which lies in the learning and listening to our present condition.

I spent the past week in the mountains. I did not plan on attending a yoga class. I also did not schedule to teach anywhere at anytime during that week. I did however plan to spend as much time in the mountains as possible. While hiking with Ted I found us in long periods of silence. Listening. Smelling. Observing. Allowing our minds to rest and our senses to become awake. It was a most fulfilling practice.