Practice and All Is Coming!

 “Practice and all is coming!”  –Jois k. Pattabhi

credit: www.theyogaspace.co.uk

So I quoted this quote yesterday with my commitment to practice yoga more consistently.  The quote has been stuck in my head since and I just realize why.  Because this is the cure for anxiety that I have been looking for.

Lately, I have suffered anxiety.  I started working on my research and consistently have a faint feeling of failing the PhD program ever since.   Why?  Because I am lost.   I feel like the task at hand is impossible.  I probably need a better navigation– setting time schedule and break down tasks at hand into smaller tasks to avoid overwhelming myself.

With that going on, I realized that sometimes I become tense during my yoga practice to achieve a challenging pose as a way to compensate with things not going well with work.  I told myself subconsciously, “things will be better if you can get into this pose deeper.”  Well, that is a lie! Result?  I become tense during my yoga practice!  I hold my breath, wrestle with myself to get into poses deeper!

This is bringing my worry with me on the mat.  This is practicing with tense.  I might ruin one thing I love doing by making it another thing to chase after, rather than immersing myself into it with ease!

I have made a conscious effort to not tense while working and doing yoga. I think what works for me is to remind myself

Just be in the moment.  Be present with the breath and asana.  Be present with the task at hand.  Let the universe takes care of the rest.

Then, start taking this practice to off the mat.  Breath deep.  Be patient.  Be present.  And all is coming.

Namaste!