"the practice"

I participated in my first triathlon this past weekend (sorta the reason I am late to post - still playing catch up after being gone all weekend).  I would like to thank all of the people in my life who sent me well wishes and encouragement.  Without your endless support and love I would not have even tried to complete something like this. You are my wings!

My knowledge cup has most certainly been filled this weekend. I have learned first that the body is capable of so much when properly tended to. The second is I am more committed to my yoga practice having gone through this.  It really highlighted the amazingness that is “the practice”.  The dedication, gratitude, balance, reverence and these are just a few of the many things yoga gifts me.  As I was on the bike getting passed by women who were significantly older than I (insert cough 30+ years older) I was pondering how empowering it felt to be a part of this event amongst all of these incredible athletes.  I was present – fully present enjoying the moment and the hard work I had put into this as my body did what it was trained to do. 

In the first event, the swim, I witnessed fear grip me and then something took over.  I put my head in the water and faced fear head on cultivating courage, presence and dedication.  In Anusara yoga (the type of yoga I practice) the A’s represent Attitude, Alignment and Action.  In this instance, my attitude was recalibrated, my alignment kicked in as I began the rhythmic breathing and the full extension of my arms followed by action as I started pulling ahead of the pack (I must admit my ego was super impressed by this!).  Thank you Anusara Yoga.  All in all as I watched others cross the finish line (of particular interest, a man who had to be pushing 80 years old) I was grateful to be apart of this event.  I was grateful for the body that brought me through it. I was grateful for the friend who encouraged me to try and then proceeded to encourage some more while we trained. I was grateful for the yoga that has taught me sooooo much and continues to be a source of light and, let’s face it, a life raft. So much gratitude poured into me. It was to say the least, empowering and 100% awesome! What ever your training for or dedicating yourself to, the attitude, alignment and action / hard work is worth it!  I have learned that the body can sometimes feel like a flimsy branch, the mind is like a bird on that branch sometimes fearful of the branch breaking, but “the practice” can remind us to sing all the while knowing we have wings.