Yoga Journey #37

The Apex Of Asana

The highest point of an arc, a rainbow for example, is called the apex. As far as the physical part of my practice I reached the apex about four years ago. I climbed my way up and I felt amazing. Practice was close to two hours with Primary and almost half of Second series. I felt strong, enthusiastic, and proud that an over sixty year old man with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) could achieve that.

The physical part of Ashtanga is not easy it’s hard work there’s no doubt about that. Showing up on my mat most days; I slowly built up the strength and flexibility to keep moving forward. It is definitely a lesson in if you keep at it you can accomplish anything. And I’ll say this again as I’ve said throughout this blog. If I can do it anyone can.

But there is a point of diminishing returns, the other side of the apex. Over the last few years or so I’ve stopped progressing and started dropping off asanas and shortening my practice time. This happened as I got injured, or sick, or was unable to practice for whatever reason. It’s harder to return to where I was.

These days recovery is much harder and takes way longer. Sometimes it feels like I’m starting over again each time I have to restart. Over the last year and a half I’ve had lots of restarts. So my overall progress is not as good as it usually is but I think that makes perfect sense.

I have found that I need to practice almost every day or I will lose what I have gained and that is never more true than now. More than ever if I miss a few days of practice it’s much harder to return to where I was just a few days ago.

The apex of my practice is long gone. I’m heading down the other side of that rainbow sliding towards that pot of gold. It is something I’m getting used to and yes, dealing with. I’ve realized the physical part of practice is getting harder to maintain. And recently I’ve reintroduced my Pranayama practice into my daily routine even if I miss my asana practice I will do Pranayama. It’s not as physical and I still build up some heat. And the best part is I improve as I keep practicing. That is not happening on the asana side of practice.

My asana practice requires more patience and to be honest I don’t like talking about getting older. It’s not a topic that inspires me. However the beauty of practice is that it sees what it sees. When I was younger, sixty years old – ha. I could push myself and with the help of amazing teachers progress through those sequenced asanas known as Ashtanga. There was progress, something I could accomplish, a sense of purpose. That says something about my personality. I need to accomplish to be relevant.

But practice is teaching me that life is not always about progression. It is about observation, satisfaction, understanding, compassion, family, friends, peace, love.

And I have realized something else.

I have been hiding.

See you soon.

Take care