Practice
When I started yoga the word practice was used often and it was not part of my usual lexicon. It was a term used in a way I had not considered before. I didn’t say I’m going to do my practice I’d say I’m going to go workout. I looked at it as I’m trying to achieve a goal and I’d workout to reach it.
For me the word practice is what you did to get better at something. You do it over and over to improve – it’s a verb, an action. But it’s also a noun because I do my practice most days and this is a thing.
When my daughter got married I wanted to do a father daughter dance that was thoughtful and meaningful. So I chose a song, played it to my daughter (she liked it – phew). Took it to a dance instructor to teach us a dance that met those goals. We got together every week, five of them, to learn and practice the dance. As an aside the best part of the whole thing was the drive there and back – we talked lots. We practiced so I would look like I knew what I was doing when we danced in public. This was an enjoyable practice.
There was a goal and a point where practice ended and performance happened. I dance like baby Groot(1), I have no dance sense whatsoever. I actually think baby Groot is a good dancer – I’d love to be able to dance that good. The actual wedding day dance was the first and only time I got the whole dance correct – kismet.
What I’m trying to say is my dance practice ended. Then we danced at the wedding and we never practiced again. In yoga I practice to get better but I also practice for practice. It’s something that needs to be maintained. The method is the result.
The theory is if you practice you will get better. But getting better is only part of the reason. For me it’s a state of mind achieved during practice it’s the actual process that takes me where I want to go. Throughout this blog I’ve discussed often how practice is meditative, relaxing, and peaceful. And most days that’s how my practice goes.
So practice is the goal. I’m not doing it to someday say I’m done now. I don’t need to practice anymore I’m perfect. I will practice because I want to. It’s my food, an ambition, my realization.
It’s been about 15 months of pandemic practice. Alone with my thoughts but realizing the benefits of this alone time. There have been many ups and downs and this time has not been wasted. Ashtanga is a structured practice and I have added some asanas to that structure that I thought I needed. I’ve become my own teacher and what an awesome student I had – ha. “A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client”. It’ll be great to get some professional eyes and hands on me again.
In Victoria it’s looking like soon we will be able to get together mask less, hands on, mat to mat. I look forward to it but during covid practice I gained experience that would never have happened otherwise. I’ve gained a confidence and a comfortable understanding of what my practice has become.
See you at practice………
Be safe
(1) Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Two (opening scene).