Abhyasa and 'Living Your Yoga'

Wednesday's To Do List:

Do Asana practice, have shower, eat breakfast, work for 9 hours, go to meeting after work, drive for 45 mins to yoga teacher training, do training for 3 hours, drive 45 mins home, do reading for assignment, do grocery shopping, cook and eat dinner, wash dishes, organise clothes for tomorrow, sleep. Somewhere in there, have a few meaningful conversations with colleagues and housemates. Oh, and don't forget, meditate for an hour!

As part of my Yoga Teacher Training course I am required to meditate for one hour a day; no excuses. The reasoning behind this requirement is sound: a firm, regular meditation practice will make us yogis aware of the countless benefits meditation imparts; hence we will continue to practice upon completion of the course.

Since beginning meditation practice I have experienced many benefits: less likelihood of reacting unpleasantly to those around me; an ability to quiet the chatter in my head using tools such as mantra or focusing on the breath; reduced likelihood of falling back into old habits; less projection of my expectations onto others and the universe; and really just an overall sense of wellbeing.

What I have found difficult, however, is the ability to incorporate an hour's meditation into my daily life. To me, asana practice is equally as important, as I have found the benefits of this to be the most useful tool for healthy living that I have ever come across. I regularly refer to my asana teachers as 'life savers' and I don't think I'm overstating it! Other forms of exercise are also important to me: an hour's walk in the leafy park near my house brings incredible benefits to my mind and body. Spending quality time with friends or family over delicious food is another necessary ingredient for quality living, as is reading, reading reading (yogic texts and anything else).

Since 9 to 10 hours of my day are spent working (either at work or finishing work at home) the remaining hours need to be spent wisely!

And that's where Judith Lasater comes in. Today I was fortunate enough to find some affirming ideas in her yoga text, Living Your Yoga. In the chapter titled Discipline, Judith discusses how she once met a woman who meditated for 5 minutes every day without fail. Being a dedicated practioner of yoga, Judith found this amusing, and wondered what such a short practice could achieve. Upon reflection however she realised that practising meditation with full awareness for the amount of time that is realistic for you is an excellent example of abhyasa (constant effort/practice).

This reminds me that instead of trying to cram things in and carrying out tasks in an unthinking manner, I can participate consciously in daily activities, with the intention of being present in each moment. This is yoga. Therefore the need to set aside unrealistic amounts of time for meditation, asana and pranayama is not only unnecessary but may be hindering my efforts to lead a yogic life.

I am now inspired, and am going to come up with a realistic structure for spending quality time in daily asana and meditation practice whilst being able to give attention to those other rich, important aspects of life.