I CHEATED...TWICE

Written on May 22nd

So I skipped out on yoga the day before yesterday and today but I swear I had a really good reason. Me and a Colombian actress, Ana Maria Arango a TV actress who's kinda famous in her home town of Bogota for her reoccurring role in a TV series, are putting on a short play. The Fashion of Spirituality runs about 40 minutes and is about how the idea of spirituality has become the next big thing to invest in. As I'm sure everyone has noticed, people are willing to dish out hundreds of dollars on anything that gets them closer to a 'spiritual' lifestyle - which I seriously don't even know what that would look like and I think if you call your way of living spiritual then there's a good chance it's not. Maybe I'm being a little too harsh but I personally think it's silly when someone spends anywhere close to $100 on yoga pants. Let me assure you - and this coming from someone who has seen all sorts of people doing asanas daily over the last 2 years here at the ashram including the instructors - you do not need specially designed lycra or spandex pants to do downward dog.  Anyhow this is the theme of our play which we'll be putting on tonight. Gosh I haven't acted since Les Femme Fatales in the summer of 2011 just before I took off for Cambodia. Excited!

It's been super fun rehearsing and so the reason I missed yoga the one time was because our rehearsal went a bit long and with the temperature in the 40s I was already sweaty from walking around stage so there was no way I was about to begin intensive stretching when I was already pooped. Yesterday I missed yoga because while I was doing laundry I accidentally almost stepped on what looks like a bee on cocaine (a yellow orangey type freaky thing with a killer bite) and I'm totally not over exaggerating when I say I don't think I've ever felt that kind of pain. I thought I had sliced my foot in half. The pain was excruciating, so much so that shamefully I shed some tears and that too in front of Swamiji. A little embarrassing. But seriously I'm not joking about the pain. So that's why I had to miss yoga but I made up for it today by doing both the morning and afternoon class. I'm also planning on going over my 30 days just by a few for the missed sessions. So, I consider myself still on this challenge even if I've bent the rules more than once. Rules are totally meant to be broken so whatever;)

Ana Maria plays my mother. This is us attempting to meditate

 

2 WEEKS IN THE BAG

After my 4:30pm yoga class today, I will have completed two weeks of daily yoga. I’m beginning to think I can actual accomplish this challenge. Too be honest, I was skeptical when I first began but sticking to something even when you don’t exactly love it, has its own sense of reward.



Morning yoga - rooftop of the World Temple

Yeah sure my arms and core are getting stronger and I feel more energetic lately but there’s a faith in yourself that grows ever so slightly every time you can check off another day of having done asanas (yoga postures) - not that it's about just getting it done and over with. It's becoming, dare I say, slightly enjoyable. Slightly is the operative word here.

Best pose - relaxing

Swamiji talks about having faith in the Divine in you and not only in your capabilities which is not always easy. But when I begin having faith in my ability to muster up enough motivation and determination to keep going I realize that, that motivation and determination is there because of a higher idea of myself rather than the old belief of  ‘I am not capable of this.’ And for me, that is a small part of the Divine acting in me, through me. The Divine in me is my higher self – my highest potential. And I don’t think I’ve even reached close to 50% yet. 

Perhaps I’ve got it all wrong but then again I create what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’ so I choose for it not to be wrong. It’s just where I’m at in this process of evolution called life. So there.

Okay so I just found out afternoon yoga class has been cancelled. Would this be ironic? Never really could come up with an example of irony and no Alanis Morrissette’s song ‘Ironic’ is not what irony is. That song should be called ‘shit happens’. But I’m not gonna take the easy road and skip yoga. I’m gonna attempt to do it on my own. I may only last 20 minutes (probably only 15) but I never did set a minimum time requirement to meet this challenge.…gotta love creating your own criteria;)

AN ACTUAL DISCUSSION OF WHAT YOGA IS  WILL BE IN THE NEXT POST…..