This was a tremendous week for yoga. It was the first time I committed to a full 6-day week of Mysore classes. I felt safe and supported by Manju and Greg. They seemed to understand where I am with the practice and didn’t push me too hard. They were generous with assists and left me alone for backbends, for which I am grateful. I’m already looking forward to next year when they return.

This week:

• I woke up without fuss every day at 5am, and wasn’t completely wiped out later in the day. Typically, I have to drag myself out of bed at 7.30.

• I did the full Primary Series, with minimal fuss, every day. No cheating or skipping poses, even when I was so tired.

This alone is noteworthy. I crave routine, discipline and early wake-ups, but find it so difficult to achieve.

There were also learnings in the physical experience. After being incredibly sore for the first couple of days, I fell into a nice rhythm. I worried about over-stressing my shoulder, but found that I could back off just a bit and keep working. When the soreness abated, I felt my strength building up.

There is a big difference between practicing 3-5 days a week (variably) and the consistency of a 6-day week with one day off. I thought my four days a week of Ashtanga were going well. But in just one week, I saw progress in poses that haven’t changed for me in years. The bind in Marichyasana D is coming. I wasn’t able to be assisted into the pose a few weeks ago; now I can see that if I keep working, I’ll be able to do it myself eventually.

That said, I was very happy for the day off today. I slept till 6.45. It’s still hard to imagine doing this practice every day. Day in and day out. Month after month. I feel like I would eventually begin to rebel against the structure. It’s easy to practice when you have a Master Teacher there to support you. For now, I’ll take it one week at a time and try to keep them with me.

Thank you Manju and Greg for a wonderful week!

Me and Manju (with Ganesh)