Week 16! On Boredom

16 weeks ... Man. 

This week something interesting arrived on my yoga mat. 

Boredom. 

This week I found my mind restless in the asanas (poses) that are the foundation of the practice. 

I tweaked and fiddled, offered vinyasa (movement), options and variations. 

But still. The restless energy was still there. 

This is good news. Anything that arrives to our practice is good. This isn't the first time boredom and I have danced together. 

In our modern lives we are constantly bombarded - never a dull moment. There's always something to distract ourselves with.

Unfortunately, this habit of constant distraction and entertainment leads us away from ourselves. We so infrequently take the time to sit quietly and face the present moment. Often the present moment is not nearly as flashy as Facebook, nor as funny as kitten videos. 

Often the present moment may not be a moment we wish to experience. 

Here's the critical piece though. You ready? 

What we do with the stuff rattling around in our heads during yoga is as if not more important than what we do with our bodies. 

Shocking, I know. 

The good news is that the mental practice has only 1 instruction: 

Stay. 

That's it. Whatever arises - take a deep breath and stay right there. 

With this simple practice we learn to tolerate great adversity. 

This week when my boredom arose I took the simplest version of the pose that I could and just stayed there. 

A storm of boredom passed over and through me and then, with time, passed away. 

We get in touch with lots of emotions on our mat. All kinds of things come up - and they are meant to. 

Ready for this? 

We learn to stay calm during the great storms on our mat so that we can stay calm during the great storms of our life off the mat. 

You see? 

So. Listen to the voices that speak during your practice. 

When boredom crops up in your practice, know that adding variety or movement is ok - but also know that it is a slippery slope towards avoiding stillness in the mind and facing ourselves. 

Be brave, my friends. 

Stay.