Reluctant Holiday

Here's one of the great things about Astanga: on one day practice can be absolutely abysmal and then the very next, it can be the Greatest Practice Ever.

This morning, it's like someone waved a magic wand over my sweaty head, or I somehow Chakrasana-ed myself through the Looking Glass into a parallel world of unsore shoulders and boundless energy and backbends that felt peachy keen (and opening prayers that burst forth melodically, instead of wheezing out in raspy whispers).

I had an AWESOME practice today. Sometimes that's the way it works in daily practice. You see, every practice, no matter how unawesome, is actually awesome because one leads to another, like beads in a mala or breaths in a vinyasa. Everything ebbs and flows in cycles. That's how I knew, last week at this time, that as bad as things seemed they would most certainly be better in 7 days. They always are.

Yesterday, LauraYogini commented that as someone new to Astanga, it's comforting to hear that even long-time practitioners have off days. What I loved most about her comment, though was this: She wrote, "even if I don't always make it through, then so long as I notice that, and enquire as to why, and learn, acknowledge and nurture those reasons and lessons, my practice is still a 'success'."

Yes!!!

As I lay on my back this morning, taking rest, I was thinking about my practice and blogging and I had this moment of brilliant clarity: I need to take a break. Not from Astanga, but from this, this blogging thing.

Now don't get all panicky! A break is a break; I'm not quitting the blog. But I've been going pretty much non-stop here for almost 2 years. As the readership of the blog has grown (and it has grown exponentially over the past year), it has started to become less about me, me, ME and more about what I have to offer the Astanga community, our 'Cybershala.'

What started out as a whiny little practice blog has grown. People actually READ this blog, hundreds of people! Last year, I got the mention in Yoga Journal. That was epic! Then, over the summer, my blog was listed on Shala North's website *cartwheel*.

Recently, the blog was honoured on two resource websites for the massage therapy community. I'm not naive: I realise that these 'awards' are intended to drive traffic to the sites, but I'm impressed that the site administrators had clearly *read* my blog. The lists they compiled are actually quite good and worth a perusal. I'm in esteemed company on those pages.

(there used to be pretty badges here, but the awards were 'discontinued'. I guess the site owner realised that giving out yoga awards wasn't driving traffic)

I'm delighted with the readership I have and I'm not interested in making money from my blog, but I would like to offer better content to the people who visit here. I'd like to make the blog less about me, me, ME and more about us, us, US, the community.

So I'm taking a Blog Holiday to think this over. I'll be back before the New Year.

Some of the things I'm doing on my holiday:

-Updating my Twitter stream. If you're really worried about me, you can always head over there to reassure yourself that I'm alive and well and not yet standing up from Urdhva Dhanurasana.

-Updating the Facebook Page. With new and interesting links because I'm *not* taking a holiday from the Internet at all! I'm not THAT crazy.

-Observing the renovation of my apartment hallway with great, um, trepidation. So far, we have lilac paint on the ceiling, shit-brown paint on the walls, darker shit-brown paint on the elevators and door jams. And the emergency exits on either side of the floor are painted a brilliant, bloody, Lady's Holiday Red. I can't wait to see the new carpet!

-Cuddling Princess Fur. Because there can NEVER be too much cuddling for Princess Fur!

-Reading and commenting on your blogs! And with great enthusiasm since I won't be writing here.

-Writing in my private blog. So I can chart out my course for the next year, both in my yoga practice and professionally.

-Buying a new coat.Because my old one is in pieces and Canada has decided to go back to having Real Winter again. *shiver*

-Writing a long overdue email. The one I promised to send two of my favourite people *cringe* months ago. I'm sorry :-( You'll hear from me soon!!

-Yoga tourism. The winter is cold, cold, cold. I need to warm my tootsies at a shala someplace. I'm sure there's Room at the Inn someplace in this town. I'll take the best offer! :-)

See ya'll on December 30th.




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