Sadhana (Practice)

One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night.

-- Kahlil Gibran

Life is full of celebrations and valleys... or so it seems. The celebration of a personal victory is always more sweet after a failure or defeat. The Winter Olympics are currently in full swing. Most of the Olympians have trained their entire life to get to this point... whether they are 16 or in their 20's, 30's, or 40's. They have dedicated their lives... and their parents have dedicated THEIR lives... to sport. I again return to the thought that it takes 10,000 times to practice a skill until the person becomes an expert. These Olympians are experts because not only have they practiced their skill 10,000 times... they have done it with the intention and heart to become excellent. But, if you think that they were successful each of those 10,000 or more times you have a warped sense of reality. The number of times these athletes failed out number the times that they were successful by... millions. Meaning, each time they hit the slopes, put on skates, or... ??? ... was only part of the practice. The preparation, the training, the visualization... that is also part of the 10,000 times. With visualization, athletes visualize their success... and sometimes their failures. Those athletes that visualize their failures are more likely to fail. Those athletes that visualize their successes, regardless of talent, are more likely to succeed.

What does all of this athlete talk have to do with "real-lifers"? We do the same things. The more that we visualize our success the more likely the chance of success actually happening.This is especially important to do while in a slump, a valley, a bad day. I have visualized the day that I would come out of the darkness. The day that the dawn would appear and the sun would shine. What I didn't realize is that we create our own dawn and we choose when it will happen. Like an athlete, I have practiced creating my dawn. My practice has been over the past 5 years. I have had successes and failures. As I continue to practice and visualize my successes consistently outweigh my failures. I remember the day that I opened the curtains in the house... that was my first success. The day I decided I had what I needed to be successful on my own... another success and a huge celebration. The day that I decided to open up and have friends help me... another massive success. The day that I took responsibility for my happiness... JOY. The day that I signed up for Yoga Teacher Training... not only successful but an amazing celebration. The day that I graduated and received my certificate... fabulous! Today I was asked to teach a class at my studio...and I am so proud of the journey that I took to get to this place, here and now. I have not been alone on the journey. People that surrounded me with love, nudged me forward, that supported me when I thought I would crumble, that listened to me and the drama... woke me up early and told me the truth... I love you all!

One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night. The path of night is how we learn, how we grow, how we become aware, how we start to FEEL. Yoga is a way to move from thinking into feeling. It is a tool that helps navigate the darkness of night. On the mat, each morning, is where I continually learn to feel. I continue to use the tools provided within this ancient practice and move forward with love... into the light. NAMASTE - I bow to you. The light within me honors the light within you.