Yoga-- The Spleen of My Life.

I'm doing the Danskin Triathlon. Swimming is my gig so I'm not worried about that part. Biking too (except for the sore bum-bum). But not running. Running really hurts my knees. The morning after running, it is like I have someone else's legs. I can't sit cross-legged. Squatting creates a snap-crackle-pop that is pretty disgusting. Today when I was doing Suptavajrasana (fixed firm pose), I barely made it down to my elbows. "Shit, this posture is hard after running", I thought to myself. That's when I realized the irony of yoga. Yoga makes my running practice easier (See "Serenity Now!" post)..... And running makes my yoga practice much more difficult.

It is the same with my emotional state. When I am emotionally adrift, forlorn, shaken, I struggle more than ever with my yoga practice. I resist going, I am scattered, fidgety. But when I am done, my emotional condition is always exponentially improved.

Oh my GOD!!! Yoga is the spleen of my life. Yoga makes it so I can function in other areas. My Life-Spleen (Yoga) cleans out the yucky stuff (aches, pains, drama, mental chatter) and sends me out into the world strong and armored (limber joints, quiet mind, grounded self). And then I go back out there again and get infected and weak and vulnerable and I come back to yoga and I get all cleaned up, ready to face the world.

Sure I could live without a spleen. I'm sure my liver would pick up the slack. The problem is that I have no idea what my Life-Liver is. Until I figure that out, I think I'll keep practicing yoga.