OM to daily yoga practice

Yogamum, the originator of WoYoPracMo, a yoga web group, has proclaimed July to be an Official WoYo Practice Every Day month. I'm one of 294 members in this group and quite likely one who most needs the incentive of knowing that there are others committing to daily yoga this month. One of the members posted this funny puppet video, Puppetji vs Yoga, that I'm sharing here.

I've been doing Iyengar yoga since 2000. I love it and have no excuse or understanding, really, of why I've slacked off since last September. A recent excuse is the crazy schedule I've been keeping for about three months. I've been staying up writing, blogging, and reading other blogs into the wee morning hours and getting up mid-morning. The sleep deprivation is beginning to catch up with me and I need to get back into a saner, more regular schedule, one that allows for morning yoga and sometimes an evening practice also.

If I showed up at my former yoga class I think it would surprise the heck out of Teri, the teacher. To grow my at-home practice, I used to go on Wednesday mornings to a local class given inside an old meeting hall (there is another yoga class given at the hospital). Contrary to what this cute puppet says, my fellow yoga students never got on my nerves. This isn't a trendy group of people wearing the latest yoga attire color-coded to match their sticky mats. Most are women and men my age, perfume- and fart-free, very down-to-earth people. I feel guilty that I strayed away, but I was frustrated that as my daily practice was evolving to more difficult poses the yoga class was stuck back in the beginning. Teri is so kind that whenever a new person, and total beginner, comes to class she usually conducts the class geared for that person. I just wasn't growing, so decided to do yoga at home only. I did quite well for about a year practicing regularly at home, then began to give myself a day off here and there, then a week, then duh...

When I was at the grocery store a few months ago I saw a former yoga class member, Ike, in the produce section. Ike said that he had also stopped going to Teri's classes because he got tired of her "dumbing down" the class for beginners. He now drives to Portland 40 miles twice a week to what he described as a dream Ashtanga yoga class at a studio that caters mainly to athletes and future yoga teachers. I told Ike that I'll watch the paper to see if he starts teaching Iyengar in our area in the future (I have a feeling that is his plan).

I'm not giving up on Teri's class, however. This is a small town and she wouldn't be able to attract enough students of varying levels to offer additional classes. She may have, in the time I've been AWOL, figured out how to accommodate all concerned. At the very least, I'd be doing better than I have lately if I used her class to supplement a home practice.

So I am excited to begin my yoga practice anew. I'll be more like myself in no time.