You don’t learn to walk by following rules.
You learn by doing, and by falling over. ~Richard Branson
Child’s Pose:
If you did nothing else, but got on your mat, face down, hips back, and surrendered to this pose, you could say you did yoga today. I once had a teacher say that, and I took her advice. I stayed in Childs pose for nearly the whole class.
It’s amazing what breath feels like in your back, when you stay long enough to feel it.
Today on your mat, start with this posture. Place a pillow under your hips if your knees like less of a bend. If your forehead doesn’t touch the mat, use a block or a pillow. The light pressure on your forehead (third eye) is soothing to your nervous system. Linger here for several minutes. Breathe into your back, your hips, your legs. Feel what you feel, even (especially) the discomfort.
You are meeting yourself here.
So much of yoga is facing our discomfort, our resistance, our inflexibility, and just sitting with it. Our tendency is to run from it. But when we sit with it, we see a new side of ourselves. A softer, yet more resilient side.
If you have time, and want more, move into cat/cow, down dog, and some sun salutations. Here’s a short and easy sequence you can try on.
It’s Day 2. Check “I did yoga” off your to-do list and have a fabulous day!