05 May 2009

another long day...

... has come to an end. i'm so tired and really should be in bed by now... all i can think of is how i'm gonna be able to wake up tomorrow and drag myself to practice? tomorrow, though, i'm not in such a hurry. if i can only get to the shala reasonably early i will have time to do my whole practice.

you can tell spring is here and that the temperature is warmer because there is a really nice heat in the shala these days. it doesn't take as long to work up a good body heat and a nice sweat. soon we will have to open windows if we're not to faint from overheating ;-)

i do love my shala! we're a nice little group who sweat together every other morning and we have a very dedicated teacher taking such good care of us. some day when i'm not this tired and have a little more time i'll write a little more about my shala mates and the wonderful room i've landed in. i imagine it's a lot like Liz's shala over in Austin. whenever she's telling stories about their group i feel like she's talking about us :)

4 comments:

mangotree said...

Chitta, you write that you go to shala every other morning. Can you tell me if you practice at home every other day? I'm having trouble developing home practice, so I have been going to shala most days, but I wonder if I should force myself into more home practice. Though right now I am staying in a place that is so tiny there is no room for practice, but at home space is not a problem, lack of determination is.

chitta vritti said...

hi Fatou! what i meant was that since most of us can't practice every morning, some of us only see each other every other day, or sometimes even more rarely! i do self practice at home when i have to get to work really early or some days when i'm working at home. also on days when the shala is closed due to holidays. to me, at this point, going to my shala adds a lot to my motivation, meeting my teacher and my shala mates. i'm hoping to build a strong motivation and relationship to my practice so that eventually i'll have equal exchange from self practice at home as from going to a shala. i'm kinda counting on determination, or lack of it, not being a problem then. why are you thinking you should do more home practice?

mangotree said...

Hi Chitta, I think that I feel that home practice shows real commitment as you have to be your own teacher and have to keep going without any encouragement from anyone else. Also, where I live the only astanga studio is situated on the other side of the town from where I live and work, so it's time consuming for me to go there. Here in Paris, I am lucky to have two studios only 12 minutes of walking distance away from my flat (unfortunately I am only here for a month). Also, shala practice does not always come cheap and so in these financially hard times it may be good to have a good home practice. That said, since my work is basically all about me sitting alone in front of a book or the computer, going to shala is also a kind of a social event, so it's hard to give it up.
I've been learning the Sweeney's moon sequence now and I think I will do it on the days I don't go to shala, both in order not to forget it and to be kind to myself in home practice.
Ooops, I got carried away writing.
Bye, have a nice day, sweet Chitta!

Liz said...

hi!! Thanks for the mention. I bet there are great groups of people all over. How wonderful that the practice bring so much community even in silence, right?

Enjoy your spring- sounds wonderful!