…my ego, that inert sloth, wants to keep doing whatever it’s already doing.

This morning’s yoga practice underscored its importance in my life. Somehow, I easily forget that I haven’t been practicing for many years, that I’ve only practiced on a daily basis for about a year. But when I rise from the closing meditation (just as when I rise from sitting meditation or chanting), I feel renewed & rejuvenated, regardless of my mental and physical state prior to practice.

And I wondered how I could have slogged through life so many years without that feeling… I remember the time I spent in the gym a few years back, how much I truly enjoyed working out despite a constant struggle to get myself into the gym. Sometimes with my yoga practice, I have the same problem with getting started: my ego, that inert sloth, wants to keep doing whatever it’s already doing.

I’m glad I’m getting better at not listening to it. I didn’t sleep all that well last night, so I only practiced the Sun Salutes, the standing poses, the first five asana in Intermediate and the Closing sequence. For me, that’s a fairly short practice. Still, I rose from the mat with much more energy than when I started… and more focus too!