National Iyengar Day, UK (almost)

Today is apparently the first ever National Iyengar Day in UK and Ireland. I had thought to mark this occasion by going to my first ever Iyengar class. A local teacher was offering a free session as an intro and it seemed like a great coincidence since blogging friends (you know who you are!) have got me intrigued by what Iyengar yoga is about.

Unfortunately it didn’t quite work out, so I’m not about to announce a sudden yogic Damascene conversion from my usual vinyasa style…

Earlier in the week my regular teacher seemed on a bit of a theme about ‘wise choices’ in yoga as in life and about the need to look after ourselves if we are ever to use our practice in some way in support of others.

So my wise choice is to keep myself and my yoga practice quietly at home today and gather my rather depleted reserves by giving some time to myself in the way I need. I had been excited about getting out and about and trying new stuff, but actually I realise I don’t need anything more in my life just this moment. My first Iyengar class will wait. After all my yoga practice teaches me patience. It doesn’t all have to happen right now. The slow burn, enjoying what’s available now and here instead of hankering after more or different — these are the wise choices I try to make regularly.

And looking after myself? Yes, this should be top of my list ahead of the exciting novelty of a new class. I need to take care now especially. It’s been quite a week. At work things have gone from bad to worse: I’m now two people short on usual team size, meaning I’m covering three jobs myself. While the business talk describes the situation abstractly as ‘resource shortfall’ or even worse ‘limited bandwidth’ these are people we’re talking about, not machines. They come with their stories, frailties, illnesses, bereavements, tears, depression, insomnia…

My ‘service’ this week, if my yoga serves any purpose out in the world, has been about holding my team together through their difficulties. I can feel the strain as I try to relieve but not absorb their problems, give them my time and love, help them make their own wise choices. And on top of that I’m keeping business as usual processes ticking along with what amounts to a piece of string and a paperclip (and a box of tissues) in my tool kit.

My iPad looks the worse for wear this week, that’s for sure. I’m trying to take care that I don’t start showing similar cracks myself!

The iPad injury, incidentally, was a shelf falling on it in the kitchen. The shelf bearing a small but rather nice collection of single malt whiskeys and boutique gins. That’ll teach me for being a bad yogi and still drinking hard liquor! Though the smell cleaning up all the spilt alcohol was enough to turn me off for a while…

I wish you a good weekend — with wise choices! x