Ouch!

[Guest guest]

Yeshe -<br>Hope it's not too bad. <br> At this

point I'm finding your messages a little confusing; if

I'm understanding correctly, you suffer from

sciatica, piriformis syndrome, a dislocated hip, numb

limbs, whiplash and a new neck injury. And this is all

so that you can start practicing yoga again? <br>

Seriously, though, I am not sure what you mean when you say

that you "need a teacher" and are not ready to go

"cold turkey". Everybody needs a teacher; either you

have one or you don't. What do you mean by "cold

turkey" -- not practicing yoga; not going to class, or

what?<br> Re: making a living -- it sure does seem to cut

into the yoga practice, doesn't it? And then you need

to try to figure out, is this just my karma and I

have to stay and learn my "lesson" (whatever the

lesson is)? Or, is it actually that I am fearfully

hanging on to something (a job, a career, a lifestyle)

that I should really let go of and do something else?

And, why don't any of the books answer these

questions?<br> My practice has big ups and downs, too; they tell

me that everybody's does. One week (or month) I'll

be doing great, doing stuff that I never could do

before; the next, I can hardly do a forward bend. The one

thing that I don't want to do is quit; that would be

the worst. <br> I know people who have done yoga for

a while, and then totally stopped, and it seems to

be a particularly bad thing. Nobody tells you when

you start -- yoga is the greatest, but once you

start, don't stop!

[Guest guest]

Malsag-<br><br>I cut way back on my daily

practice from my time in France. I live in a town with no

yoga teachers so was trying to maintain my own

practice (i.e. go cold turkey) but find that I can't and

it's frustrating.<br><br>I've been frustrated with my

injuries and believe deeply that I should take my yoga

practice more seriously in order to heal my physical

problems. It's also scary because doctors don't have the

answers and it seems up to me. Daunting. That's all. It's

a wake up call. <br><br>So, all of this is

prompting me to leave this town soon and maybe before I am

ready in other areas of my life. I love my job...it's

truly karma yoga, and my grad program.<br><br>Had I

been better established in my practice, I probably

wouldn't be fussing so much. I would have believed:

"practice and all is coming"<br><br>Namaste,<br>Yeshe

[Guest guest]

I know about those ups and downs, or waves and

spurts of practice. I am frustrated with going two steps

forward, one or more steps back. I have been tight and

unmotivated the past few weeks. Maybe it's because of cold

damp weather, maybe it's my mind; it's probably both.

I just don't look forward to practicing so much

these days, and I have to push through it mentally and

physically. This inherently bothers me, because it feels

unnatural, passionless. If I had injuries I think I'd be too

frustrated to go on; I admire those of you who have pushed

through times of physical injury and practice despite it

all; makes me feel like a real wimp.

[Guest guest]

As much as I hate to say it...I am glad to hear

others have been having a hard time with their practices

as well. I've been feeling that same unmovtivated

feeling creeping in lately too - and I usually love

practicing in winter as the heat is nice.<br><br>Thanks for

your (albiet unintentional) words of

encouragement...<br><br>Julie

[Guest guest]

Julie, thanks.