“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” Ovid(43BCE-c.17CE), Rome
Just as I was feeling all fabulous and like a brand new gal, I went to class and hit the wall. I did one plank, moved into downward dog and turned into Gumby. My shoulders were sore and weak and felt like they wouldn’t make it through one breathe, let alone four or five. Never have I used the relaxing, restful Child’s Pose more than on this night.
Chatting with Semperviva instructor Callie Gray after the class, she asked about my shoulders, saying that it looked like I was having a rough time. We came to the agreement that it was probably a combination of being worn out from all this new activity and having my shoulders scrunched up by my ears from carrying a whole whack of heavy groceries home the night before and from working eight hours a day hunched over a computer.
Like many people, I sometimes find it difficult to listen to my body and respond to it; instead pushing it to keep up with everything and everyone around me. I like that yoga is about the personal journey and finding acceptance for our own practice and imperfections. In this particular class my body needed rest, and I listened.
“Resting between asanas allows you to become more receptive in your yoga as it gives time for both your body and your mind to process the effects, whether physical, mental or emotional, of each movement. Rest in Child’s Pose after postures you find challenging, observing the flow of your breath, in and out.” – taken from 1001 Pearls of Yoga Wisdom; Liz Lark.
Semperviva Instructor Callie Gray, had some great advice for anyone practicing yoga, specifically to those participating in the Forty Day Challenge:
“Remember to take home the idea that everyone can do yoga. It doesn’t 
have to be a headstand. Know the accomplishment is the intention. We all know life throws its challenges. If you reach Day 16, Day 20 or Day 27 and that’s it, remember that reaching that point has been a step towards change. Hang on to that. We tend to look at the end goal, but the road is just as important.”
A Vancouver Notebook 