Process of pose patience

Reviewing my "priorities" lately: what I would like to see unfold in my life over the next year. Creating a master calendar for the family (working on improving communication!). I sometimes get frustrated that I just can't quite get some things scratched off... I'm really good at making lists but not as consistent at doing the steps necessary to chip away at them!

On my yoga priority list (not the best word since priority conveys a sense of urgency...more like, desire or wish): Adho Muka Vrksasana. I've been working all year on handstand and just about have it in the middle of the room. Although, I'm more in my comfort zone against the wall. Even if I don't touch the wall, mentally, it's there if my arms or center is a little off.

Next up: I'd like to be able to do a dropback (standing into Urdhva Dhanurasana or wheel pose) and eventually, a handstand into wheel. I have a little bit of envy for those who had gymnastics as a child and seem to be able to recall the muscle memory from way back when and can, with a little practice, achieve it. Me, nope. The most I could do as a child- a fun, free-style cartwheel. ; )

My in-box this morning was none other than how to do a dropback from Yoga Journal... Here's some of what Cindi Lee (from OM in NYC) has to say: "Mastering dropbacks can take years, so try not to rush the process. Instead, be curious about it as you evolve on your path toward the pose. Falling back into space takes a lot of faith. Now your job is—you guessed it—to practice, practice, practice. As you do, can you be curious and mindful about that process? It won't be yoga practice if you do it by rote. In other words, when you can pay close attention to your experience as it unfolds, with each breath, each movement, each thought, each asana, and each transition—then you will be in a state of yoga. Don't try to hold on to that state either, but let it be a moment of change, an opening, a transformation."

Sage advise. Don't hurry the process (of most anything), instead consider...the journey as a path to the pose and chip, chipping away at it in the present moment.

(Manny & me, partner dropover from handstand. It's as fun as it looks.)