I finally got to see the sun yesterday in this Costa Rican paradise. The heat and light transformed the town and brought the beaches to life. Still pristine, the ocean yesterday was peppered with people from all over the world enjoying their dia libre a la playa.
Today, it’s back to un dia fresca, with a bite in the air and lots of rain. I noted the grey crowds as I began my yoga practice this morning, looming heavy above the green canopy of the forest. As I worked my way into trikonasana, the first fat drops began to fall. By the time I got around to my shoulder stand, I was considering moving my mat out of the way as random drops cascaded down the roof’s edge and landed on the soles of my feet. I moved my feet back and forth while in shoulder stand – partly to get the prana moving, but also to discourage little buzzing bee from stinging my toes. The rain calmed to a drizzle, which made me and the hens happy as I moved from my asana into my meditation practice.
It’s now steady, with raindrops falling rhythmically on the tin roof and gently through the layers of leaves down to the plants below.
It’s a welcome reminder to return to practice. I relish practicing in this weather. Surrounded on three sides of the yoga pavilion with jungle, I can easily get lost in my practice as my breath falls into a rhythm and the rain drowns out all distraction.
I’ve been busier lately, which can easily translate into no time to practice. As I find myself confronting a lack of motivation to create space for a personal practice, I’ll remind myself that my practice isn’t something selfish that I do just for me. I come to the mat to remember how to connect with my highest and most authentic self. In that connection, I’m able to bring more compassion to my interactions with everybody. In that coming home to heart, I find that I am more capable of being present in the world and completing the job I set out to do. I not only stretch my limbs and my muscles when I practice, but I stretch my creativity, I broaden my heart, and I deepen my understanding of the One Human Condition. So, when it’s hard to practice for me, I motivate by reminding myself that I’m practicing for the world. With each breath that I take, I’m embodying my philosophy and manifesting it into the world.
