Friday, February 27, 2009

The Almost

The word "almost" gets a bad rap. I remember my grandma saying, "Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades", to which I would reply, " And probably atomic bombs, too", which would get me the evil eye and possibly a smack upside the head.
However, I've learned that "almost" is actually a good thing. You can take the attitude about almost being equiv
alent to failure and stick it in the recycle bin. If given the choice between doing something "almost" and not doing it at all, I'll take "almost", almost every time. Almost means you tried, and maybe learned something in the process. Almost means you are that much closer to getting it right.
I had an "almost" this morning. It was the last morning of my yoga immersion, which also means no more getting up at 30 minutes to dawn, at least until I feel a need to do it again.
Yoga is about balance...the body and the min
d. Balance is not one of my strong suits, especially when it comes to balance poses. I tend to fall over, which is funny to watch when I'm attempting tree pose. I always have to keep from yelling "Tiiiimber!" as I lose what small bit of dignity I may have had. Thank the Great Mother for a sense of humor.
Aubrey, our instructor, had us doing the side plank pose this morning. Side plank, when correctly done, looks like this:I have never, ever been able to do side plank pose. Not even leaning against the wall, which is my trick for tree, half moon, etc. Face plant is inevitable.
But this morning was different. Without the wall behind me, I opted to try a modified side plank, leaning on my forearm. It's an "almost". I used one leg as a kind of kickstand, and then moved it into place next to the other leg.
By gum, it worked! I was shaky, and maybe lasted only thirty seconds. But I definitely did an "almost" side plank. Aubrey noticed and ran over to congratulate me, whereupon I crashed to the floor, breathing "Mother of...".

I'm going to keep trying, because it almost felt great!


1 comment:

  1. Oh, I love this entry. :) I love it whole-heartedly.

    Nice.

    Congrats on completing your immersion!

    ReplyDelete