THE PRACTICE OF PATIENCE
Summertime can offer some challenges to your yoga practice. Trying to find a quiet space to roll out your mat on summer holidays without too many onlookers; the draw of the sunshine in the longer evenings or, like myself, having a gang of little ones on school summer holidays that seem to rise with the birds!
In an ideal world we’d all have our own little yoga studio where we could immerse ourselves in daily practice, with a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door. A very tempting thought! I’ve often looked at my modest garden and wondered if I could fit in a trendy German Huf Haus. But unfortunately most of us have to find a quiet space in a busy house with a lot of traffic from early morning.
After the initial period of panic and uncertainty, I realised the practice of yoga for my summer was going to mean the practice of letting go of expectations and accepting the distractions when you do manage to get on the mat. My summer routine always starts with a walk or run at around 6:30am, to clear the head of chatter and list-making before finding my way onto my mat, which I roll out before heading out so I can slip back into the house and onto it with as little noise as possible. Inevitably the household is in full swing, with rumbling tummies and list of requests, before I’ve managed to find my way into Savasana. Depending on the moods and hunger levels, I can sometimes finish my sequence with three little onlookers, who even join in for a quick Savasana at the end. They’re beginning to recognise that when they give me a few minutes to find my balance, I’m more chilled out and it’s a win, win situation!
ME TIME
While it is recommended to practise in a quiet, clean and uncluttered sacred space, sometimes this just isn’t possible. So think of your summer yoga as the ultimate challenge of being creative with where you practise, cultivating inner focus and lots of patience! Whether it’s for 5 minutes or an hour, such are the benefits of yoga that it’s worth practising with acceptance of all the distractions that life throws at you.
Ruth Delahunty Yogaru