Before I opened my car door today, I realized it was "track weather." It's the beginning of February, and we're in the middle of a mini-heat wave in KC (60s to 70s) that will last through Saturday. Hallelujah! Good weather never seems to hit on the weekends (i.e., no work!) so I'm especially grateful for God's good timing and I seem to have a bit of spring fever.
The damp and wormy smell with the soft glow of the sun reminds me of track and field season, which ultimately makes me think of my dad. He's been a high school track coach for over 30 years so this sport was a big influence and piece of my life as well. As a little girl, I would race others, girl or boy, after the high school basketball games to show that I was the fastest, and I typically was, not to brag too much. lol! My dad started coaching me around 4th grade and teaching me various track and field events, such as hurdling, long jumping, throwing the shot, discus and even the javelin! Once I started to compete, I began not always being the fastest or the best, which was hard for me to accept. However, my dad told me, "You're competing against yourself and the watch never lies." So even if I came in fourth place, if I compared my new time to my PR (personal record) and came ahead, that's something to celebrate.
I think that's why I love yoga so much because it's like track, yet it moves this idea a notch more. When practicing yoga postures, you're working to improve yourself every time you walk onto your mat. Instead of competing with yourself, you're observing yourself and the variances from day to day, which ultimately helps you move more deeply into the postures or asanas and improve your mind and spirit. No matter if you didn't move your foot higher on your opposite leg in tree pose or you didn't fly in crow like you did yesterday. You're still showing up to the mat because you know you'll leave it better than when you first stepped onto it. In yoga, the point is not the end result; it's the journey of learning through your yoga asanas. And ultimately, that's what track (or any other sport, project, etc.) is, especially if you have a coach like my dad.
My dad signs his notes, "Keep track! So I'll sign this....
Keep yoga,
Yoga Mama
