Now you see it, now you don’t. Can you find the alien head?
While at a grueling yoga class some time last week, I found myself in a pose that I didn’t like. Not that it hurt; it was just difficult and I was out of my comfort zone. Instead of facing the pose’s challenges head on, my mind wandered until I noticed the print of my pants. In the midst of the batik I saw a bug-eyed alien staring me in the face. I looked at it in awe for a few breath cycles. But before I could hunt for more alien heads or odd figures in my leggings, something in me told me to go back to the work that I had to do: Keep my spine long, lean forward, keep my legs active, draw my navel in, and of course, BREATHE.
I am guilty of getting distracted with other things when I should be concentrating on something else, but I am learning to be more present and to focus on the here and now instead of the could haves and would haves. To wonder why my balance was better yesterday when today I am shaking like a leaf, is simply a waste of energy. Forget about what transpired on the mat yesterday and focus on what’s going on at the present, I remind myself.
This evening in my home practice, I took it easy. No hard poses, no grunting, no distractions, and no alien faces.
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