Once per week at Satsanga, we practice Astanga Yoga, which follows the same series of poses each and every time of practice, according to the Astanga tradition.

Due to the repition of poses, this approach to asana lends itself to mastery and progression, each and every time you come to your mat, but never a perfection of the practice. Because, really, no matter how often you practice, your practice will always vary…

So, in practice, we do not strive to be flawless. Rather, we embrace all that is human about ourselves and we own this experience, while also striving to progress and transcend at the very same time.

As a student and teacher of Astanga yoga, I sometimes find myself feeling bored and uninspired by the practice, which is otherwise so grounding, challenging, and meditative for me. But this morning, I just wasn’t feeling it.

So I, with my tea and a Burning Man playlist, sat down on my bedroom floor in my nightie and did a card reading. The card reading turned into meditation. Meditation turned into pranayama. Pranayama turned into movement.

And the movement turned into my yoga practice.

And what a delicious practice it turned out to be. It was fluid, light, and creative, soft and strong and open. It was, as the saying goes, poetry in movement. And it felt amazing for both my body and my spirit.

…Lift the expectations. Let the world go. Forget about the rules. And allow yourself to be free.