My time in Mysore is almost up. My last practice was this morning and it was a good one, focused, unruffled.
Already I've had a couple people ask what I've learned here. The short answer is that I don't know yet. I'll find out what lessons have really stuck once I've transitioned through the reentry process. I suspect that lessons that were planted here as seeds will sprout up in unexpected moments for some time to come.
However, there are a couple threads that are as much reminders as new lessons that have woven themselves throughout much of the month here.
Here are a few:
1) talk less
2) the poses are a tool, a way in to learn to quiet the mind, not an end in themselves.
3) stay where you are for a whole breath, especially if it's uncomfortable--this is as true in life as it is in asana
4) the fastest way to quiet the mind is to avoid getting it all riled up in the first place--see #1...talk less
...and I'll end this last post from Mysore with some great quotes from Sharath:
"Always we should think, we are not supreme."
"You've come here to learn, not to flirt with yoga."
"In this life, you need 4-wheel drive because the terrain is always changing. Sometimes you are on-road. Sometimes you are off-road."
Great quotes!
ReplyDeleteThanks Yyogini! Today's conference was especially full of good quotes. :-)
ReplyDeleteNice post. I am really impressed with your article, such great information you mentioned here..
ReplyDeleteWhere oh where did you go? Missing your blog presence.
ReplyDeleteHi Deborah!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that you commented as I was just thinking it had been almost a year since I'd posted...looks like it's been more than a year already! When I returned from Mysore last year, it seemed like the tone of my thoughts about practice had changed and I wasn't sure they were a good fit for the blog. It seems like I've dug in a little bit deeper every day since the return from Mysore to the point that personal life and practice life are so intertwined that I can't write in a general way. I've been focusing writing energies on another creative writing project over the last year which has been really satisfying. I like the way you have a yoga blog set up as well as a blog for your art projects and I keep thinking about doing the same to have an outlet for non-yoga related writing projects.
I was just thinking about you the other day actually as I love the art that you created out of my kapotasana photo so much I was wondering if you'd have time to do something similar from a photo of a friend?
Hope all is well with art and yoga! :)