Ever Changing

I always used to blow off when the yoga teacher was like "this isn't the same body you had yesterday" or similar lines. It didn't mean anything to me - of course this was the same body. I didn't have a transplant overnight. But doubling up classes yesterday has suddenly opened my eyes to the meaning of this.

I have been going to 6:30am classes regularly now. Wakes me up with a good stretch and gets me moving for the day. But yesterday I decided to also hit a 7:15pm class. The difference in my morning and evening practices is AMAZING. It is like I am a whole different person. In the morning I cannot balance for the life of me - a simple airplane pose causes falling and shaking almost immediately after take off. But last night I felt so solid. My tree pose felt as if I had actually sprouted roots. I also noticed a difference in my motivation. In the morning I often do 3 breaths one movement (instead of 1 breath one movement) and take it slow and easy. Last night all I wanted to do was push myself deeper and faster - it felt SO good to push the limits. There wasn't really a "good" or "bad" practice, just two very different experiences. 

The definition of insanity was once quoted as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. But it is impossible to do exactly the same thing more than once, because the world (including yourself) is ever-changing. There are so many external factors that play a part in how something turns out, that a previous experience is not a guarantee of the future one. So keep going to those piano lessons, or reaching out to that estranged sibling, or pursuing that client, or training for that race. Maybe in 10 minutes, or an hour, or a day, or a month your external and internal environment will shift to line things up differently.