My paternal grandfather had only four fingers on his right hand. To be honest I’m not exactly sure how his ring finger was cut off; I’ve been told several cautionary tales – the garbage disposal, a tractor accident, motorboat disaster. It have a sneaking suspicion he cut the finger off himself just so he could teach his grandchildren life lessons. Point is, after “the accident” my grandfather still uses the garbage disposal, rides a tractor, and enjoys a good boat ride along the river. He’s not going to stop using a tool just because he had one bad experience. But I imagine he gives these tools a healthy amount of respect. He must have learned his lesson because he was still in possession of his other nine fingers.
Yoga practice is nothing more than a tool. A multifaceted tool that can both help and harm – just like a knife, hammer, or saw. I’ve seen people gain so much through their yoga practice. I’ve also seen people hurt themselves through mistakes and improper practice. I find it so disheartening when people walk away from practice because they got hurt. Imagine leaving a knife in a drawer forever because one time you slipped and cut yourself. If we can learn from our mistakes then the tool of our yoga practice has even more use. It is only through learning from our mistakes that we can cease to make them; that we can end the cycle of our own mistaken suffering.
Asanas are just tools and tools used improperly do not create a quality finished product. More than tools, asanas are power tools – efficient when used correctly and dangerous when not. A power tool requires a power source. That power source is breath. Without breath asana simply does not function properly. Using our power tools and our power supply we can chip away at the impurities that hide the shining luster of a clear mind.
I’ve been doing this yoga thing long enough now that I’ve seen people come and go - and come back - and leave again, only to return: both in my teaching practice and where I’ve studied. People leave practice for a great number of reasons – family obligations, work, change of location, pregnancy, sickness, injury, etc. When people return to practice after a hiatus some are excited, some are nervous and others seem relatively indifferent. One thing is pretty consistent – returning to practice after time off is an uphill battle physically and that battle can be psychologically demoralizing. It is, lamentably, not like riding a bike. It’s more akin to training for a triathlon after months as a couch potato.
None of us is getting any younger. We’re all inexorably marching toward our eventual doom and Father Time is not doing us any favors.
The physical challenge of returning to practice after hiatus can cause the mind to entertain rather depressing trains of thought. The idea that somehow the lack of physical ability makes a worse yogi and the idea that if I’m not doing all the asanas that I used to do I’m getting less value from my practice are a couple examples. This is nonsense. Most unfortunately our brains enjoy pondering the nonsensical. With a bit of patience, a great deal of surrender, and perhaps a little luck we can get back on track with our practice despite our wayward and mistrustful minds.
As we become adept at parts of our practice things start to get interesting – fascinating – even exciting.
Yoga is exciting!..... Sometimes too exciting.
As we gain dexterity and mastery with our tools wonderful things start to happen. Temper your excitement with a bit of caution. Don’t cut your finger off in the process! It’s important to have a healthy amount of respect for your tools – they are sharp and unforgiving. Start your power tool up too fast or use it without proper caution and you risk an accident. Be patient, take it step by step. If you’re coming back to practice after a break be forgiving of yourself. After all, if you haven’t taken the tractor out all winter you might want to check the oil before you start her up.
