Never stop no matter what
Ray Long is the author of many Yoga Anatomy Books and was fortunate to have spent time in India with the late B.K.S. Iyengar. Mr Iyengar’s in-depth lifelong study of Yoga has taught and inspired many Yoga teachers around the world. He is the author of ‘Light on Yoga’ which is a yoga teacher/practitioner’s bible.
When Ray meet Mr Iyengar he at the time had been practicing for over 50 years and saw that “still, like a master artist, he polished his poses as if his body were a dynamic sculpture”
When Ray asked why he still worked to improve his poses even though he was a master of the art Mr Iyengar said “this is a characteristic of masters in any discipline. Even when they have achieved excellence, they still look for incremental improvement. One of the great things about yoga is that we can always work to improve our postures”.
This is not the first time I have heard this lesson, my Acroyoga teacher Jason Nemer always encouraged me to keep going back to basics. I’ve learned to understand this as making sure your foundations are well attended for this is what supports growth.
Refining your yoga postures not only adjusts your body, but it also tweaks your mind and deepens your connection to your spirit.
To reach higher and wider takes physical strength but also the confidence you have built. How much courage you have paved. How well do you trust yourself. How deep you can listen to your heart. How quickly you can lift yourself up despite what keeps trying to knock you down. How you can sustain yourself because of the love you give.
Reaching this place takes constant attuning so you sway instead of break, because of that strong familiar foundation you’ve laid by constantly maintaining all parts that leave you feeling whole.
Persistence, Patience, and Practice is the engine driving my commitment and is something I will share at my next workshop with Nicole Sanders. Both of us are looking forward to sharing how yoga keeps us both energized to never stop learning and growing.
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