Simple and Easy

So many of us are craving simplicity in our lives, especially during the holidays. We long for less stuff and fewer commitments. Less is freeing, not because it promises ease, but because it allows us to refine our focus. It clears away the distractions, so we are able to devote ourselves more completely to what remains. Sometimes that means we are better able to do hard work. Simple and easy are not the same thing.

Our yoga practice provides the opportunity to learn this truth. This week, try practicing Tadasana (mountain pose), for 5 minutes every day. It is a “simple” pose, but it may be challenging to maintain the correct alignment for 5 minutes, if you spend most of your time sitting in a chair. Are your feet pointed straight ahead? Is your pelvis back? Tailbone untucked? Ribcage is not thrusting, right? Are your clavicles parallel to the ground? Is your head drawn back?

May your yoga practice remind you that you don’t have to run from hard. You may need to do less, so you can commit more completely to that hard, but you can do it.