Bring Your Tuesday Warrior

I'm tempted to say that Rose (lets give her a nickname too...) Long Braids Big Smile, who is one of the yoga instructors, is a tyrant and has no mercy, which at times she doesn't, and at the same time that is totally a false statement because in reality, she cares. She cares that I am there, that the person next to me, behind me, in front of me is there. She cares that we have all come to that studio for our own reasons and she cares that we get what we are looking for.

Now based on the workout she's put me through the last two nights, I'd say she cares about me (and everyone else) finding strength and a serious challenge with our practice. She doesn't stop talking the entire session and she's always talking about feeling the burn, checking in with our bodies, 'what are they saying?' Everytime she asks that I want to scream, "IT'S SAYING TIME FOR A NEW POSE! INHALE AND RELEASE!!!"

Last night's session was the most difficult that I have experienced yet. Most of it was in my head. Some of it was in my body, but my head used that little bit of body chatter to try and take me out. And then came Little Braids Big Smile. "Bring your Tuesday Warrior, whatever that looks like and feels like to you. Just show up and BE that."

I looked at myself in the mirror, felt the ache, no longer just a burn, but the ache in both my legs and my arms and I let go and grabbed some water. I know in these poses, my lapses are only momentary. Fall down and get back up. For my KingDancer pose (lifting my foot behind me with my hand- I like it because it reminds me of figure skating) I had nothing. I more or less just stood there and stretched my quads. I looked in the mirror and said, "Why hello Tuesday Warrior, aren't you looking lovely." to myself with a hint of sarcasm and distain and a fleeting thought of self love from the previous practice. "Tuesday Warrior".

Then we got to the flow sequence, which until yesterday I had spent in child's pose mainly because going from upwarad to downward dog kills my back and then to do it in a sauna....cardio overload. But yesterday Long Braids Big Smile thought she would open up the door because "the flow sequence tends to spice things up a bit". (Can you see me rolling my eyes?!) The second I felt that cool breeze on my back I was in downward dog, then plank, then upward dog and back to downward dog. I did it! Sloppily, but I did it! I didn't complete the entire series, but 3 was plenty for me. My Tuesday Warrior was on her game, just not when I thought it was going to be!

It was a beautiful practice to allow myself to BE exactly where I was no matter how much I wanted to be elsewhere because when the time came, I was ready to do something new and dabble in yet another way to expand my ability to learn and grow and participate in life.

So BE that Warrior on whatever day of the week it is, or whatever hour of the day and allow that to be who you are for that time. When your Warrior isn't quite who you thought, or wanted it to be, love it anyway and honour that maybe it's a bit wounded, or dehydrated, or tired, or irritated and allow it the space to find itself once more. Allow that Warrior to rest and become the Wizard who can take on many forms and cares not what it looks like because it always looks 'perfect' for that moment and when the Warrior has rested enough it will return...and if not...well the Wizard is always great at making things happen in its own way so go with the flow.