Bringing it home

So now that the yoga sadhana and intensive have ended,  I bring these lessons home:

Trying not to fall isn't the same thing as trying to find my balance.

Staying in a pose for a length of time that is past my comfort zone, am I bearing with it, or dealing with it?

I have to search out and scan for the places in my body where I'm not conscious, and then experiment and wonder and try to work out the solutions for myself, rather than just relying on a teacher to point the way.  How can the world be wonder-full if I never wonder?

Writing these things down is an attempt to define something that is infinite.

It is not always about muscle & strength, but learning how to work with nature.

Opposites inhabit the same space.

Don't judge the asana in terms of whether I like it or dislike it.

Don't become comfortably numb.

Don't be in such a rush to finish something once it is started. Take time to linger.

Understand where you are.

Work with what you have, where you are. Start now.

~ phrases from BKS Iyengar teachers, Raya and Marlene ~