Practice Makes Poses

When I unroll my mat at home, with my bedroom door closed and feet bare, I get to work through the poses I've learned in the past two weeks at my own pace. I'm truly amazed at how easy it is to learn and remember the poses we've been taught. I find myself repeating the words and phrases that I hear in class verbatim as I stretch into Downward-Facing Dog or a Warrior Pose.

On the first day of class, even Mountain Pose felt strange and almost uncomfortable. Slowly, through practice and repetition at home, Mountain Pose has begun to feel natural and almost relieving. At first, the Tree Pose was extremely difficult, and now.... well... I still wobble and sway like I did before, but my moments of steady calmness are longer and closer to the way Iyengar looks in Light On Yoga.

One thing I can count on when practicing yoga at home, is a relaxed body, clear mind, and positive outlook upon completion. After home practice I feel ready to conquer the world, but I'd have to put some shoes on first.