When I first started practicing yoga, I had to jockey for position between a coffee table and a CD rack. I didn't have a lot of space, but I had a big desire for a home practice. Years later, I found myself with the ultimate luxury -- a whole room devoted to yoga. I had hardwood floors uninterrupted by coffee tables, and I didn't have to worry about crashing into a couch if I fell out of Half Moon pose (yes, this happened to me early into my home practice). These days, I'm somewhat in between -- I no longer have a dedicated space but I have more space then when I first started.
On the more metaphysical hand, I have much more space than I did when I first started praticing yoga. My mind is quieter, I have more self awareness, I am better able to observe myself and my behavior. I suppose you could say that I have more mental space. Patanjali talks about fluctuations of the mind and yoga being concentration. Yes, yoga definitely changed the quality of my mind.
So in the battle of space, I cleared the physical space for a yoga practice to occur and then yoga cleared the mental space for my practice -- and myself -- to evolve. Nifty the way that happens, isn't it?
As a former English major, I appreciate irony. For years I had a space devoted to meditation. I suppose you could say that I adopted the Field of Dreams mindset -- build it and they will come. I figured if I set up a meditation space, the meditator in me would appear. No such luck. Or, at least, not such luck for an extended period of time. So imagine my surprise when I find myself meditating daily these days -- despite the fact that I don't have a dedicated meditation space. In the mornings, I mediation on my bed and in the evenings, my favorite spot has become my couch. I sit daily, regardless of the absence of a cushion or an altar.
So what comes first -- you clear space so that a regular practice can evolve or you create a regular practice and the space naturally appears (both mental and physical)?
What do you all think?
I'm currently in the process of clearing email clutter as well as throwing excess stuff away and I'm already noticing space opening up. I now spend more time on what's important to me. Heck, it's easier to remember what's important when I'm not distracting myself with other stuff.
Soooo...space in regards to your yoga/meditation practice. Have you created the space in which a practice can thrive? And once you practice regularly, do you notice more space opening up in your mind, heart, soul? A little something to ponder...
Namaste!
