Practice makes practice

I am a neurotic type A personality, a Pitta-Vata dosha. What’s your dosha? I like to set a goal and accomplish it within the timeframe I’ve established for myself. I try to apply that discipline to every aspect of my personal and professional life. And when I take up a hobby, I don’t kid around.

So when I started practicing yoga, my mind was firmly fixed on mastery: mastering the poses, the breath, the quiet mind.

Buy yoga is not a skill to be mastered; rather, it’s a journey to be experienced and it’s never over. Ever. Every time I think I’ve “mastered a pose,” I learn that there’s always somewhere deeper to go, both in the body and the mind.

Think you’ve mastered crow? Try moving into tripod headstand or hopping back to chatturanga. Or engage the bandhas and move into firefly. Or stay put, close the eyes, and meditate on a single point of concentration, dedicating every breath to your beloved.

In yoga, practice doesn’t make perfect. It makes more practice. You might find that the practice itself is a perfect gift.