Adaptation

Seasonal junctures can be riddled with pitfalls as our body and psyche fluctuate to adapt to changing conditions and seasonal rules. Flexibility can be difficult and even injurious when we are overextended, in physical exploits as well as in situations requiring great focus through transition. There are times when the things we do to maintain equilibrium no longer work.

Certain medicinals such as the reishi mushroom or ashwaganda, can function as adaptogens, supporting the system to shift and regain balance. I recently spotted some beautiful reishi growing on a dead hemlock tree and was inspired to ponder adaptogens and their action. There is something so mysterious about the interaction.

I wondered about how actions can support resiliency. What does adaptation entail? A certain amount of flexibility, tolerating discomfort, capacity for discernment, and taking appropriate action came to mind. These are tenants of a beneficial yoga practice. My teaching style has shifted over the many years to incorporate these principles. Having long abandoned looking at notes or following any set routine, as a student one exercises a flexibility in simply showing up when you don't know what's coming next! I find it a lot more enjoyable that way. Appropriate action (sequencing, alignment) is always the underlying framework in the flow of class, and my practice in general. There will inevitably be moments when students are tolerating discomfort on the mat, but capacity for discernment serves to identify when this is beneficial and when to step back and avoid overdoing it, dropping onto a knee, or resting back in another pose of choice. And so my hope is that this yogic skill carries over into all circumstances where the yogi is able to identify the best way forward and shape shift into what comes next fully intact and aware.