Heart Full

Video of the Global Mala Project, with glimpses of the unattached one.

This past week I participated in the Global Mala Project – Yoga for Peace. The first time I particpated was the year before last, with my then yoga teacher and now friend, Mia Baer. It was in Central Park, and it started at around 8am in the morning, far earlier then what I was use to waking up on the weekends. I remember the excitement of it, and the challenge, could I really do 108 Sun Salutations? I also didn’t really know what the event was all about, having just learned about it a couple days ago during Mia’s class. It was grueling. My practice, was still in it’s beginnings, and after about 20 sequences, I could feel my wrists giving under the weight.

I remember catching glimpses of the yogis around me, wondering how they managed it so effortlessly. And looking admirably at Mia, as she gracefully interspersed her sequences with a bakasana (crow) here, and a down dog split there. I discovered 40 sequences later where my mis-alignments lay — it was inevitable, those areas WILL begin to tire, and correcting them. I had begun to cultivate a deeper body awareness, knowing where I was needlessly “wasting” energy with unnecessary (e.g. wrist) flourishes, and instead began to look where I placing my feet, and how I was rising to Warrior I.
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I was ecstatic that the sun came out today, and that I was able to take my sun salutations where it belonged, outside. I did an extra sun salutation just to express my gratitude.  Practicing in the Park, is something  I’ve added to my repertoire this summer. As the economy slackened, and my husband went back to school,  we found our that discretionary budget drastically diminished. Suddenly, I was back to making “cheap” lists, looking at coupons and sales. At first, I didn’t really change my habits — I just changed where I did it. So for example, I would still get facials, but maybe the spas weren’t anything to write home about. I still shopped, but only during sales. I still went out with friends, but made better use of happy hour.

But this wasn’t enough. We had to take a long hard look at our balance sheet, and actively remove the “nice to haves”. Then after we removed those, we had to reduce or stop other habits that had alternatives. One of things that I finally gave up, was going to a yoga studio 3 – 4 times a week. It was hard, because I felt that my practice and it’s development hinged on my ability to get to a studio.  I also felt that regular practice would help me integrate into another community, something I missed since leaving, New York Yoga. But the numbers were against me. My yoga practice was costing us more than we could afford between my going to studios 3-4x a week, while continuing to pay my neglected Equinox membership, an arrangement I had rushed into and now can’tt get out of until August.
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