Becoming a slave of Tapas.....

We are always saying that we should listen to our  body and Yoga is the tool for it in order to understand how it works and how our mind is influencing our body part.

So when your body does not wake up on time and feel tired the all morning, is it laziness or is it a sign that your body is tired?

This morning I did not wake up. I slept until 7.10 AM. Outside it was raining and the sound of the rain hitting the window had a soporific effect.

Because I did not practice I am in a situation in which 1) I feel guilty.... and 2) I feel tired.

Why should I feel guilty when I have listened my body? Because there is the shade of the laziness..... I feel tired because I did not have the morning practice that used to wake me up. Really?

Yesterday morning practice was really stiff. Hamstrings really tight, pain in the shoulder, pain in the knee...

Am I finding any excuses for not being able to wake up?

This is where we should be careful. Not to transform the dedication and the tapas into a nightmare of psychiatric issues.  

Of course it is really good to have a healthy habit which consists of morning daily practice. BUT we should not become a slave of it. Tapas is good, fanaticism is bad.

Because right now if I sit down and start chanting the mantra "why I did not go to my morning practice, I am missing a practice" then it will be ruining my day and tomorrow my practice will be done with the weight of guiltiness on my shoulders.

Instead of that, listening my body and my mind. I did not wake up, okay, maybe it is laziness, my bed was very comfortable and I had an amazing dream.

Will it impact my practice of tomorrow? Yes surely or maybe not, who cares?

Will the Ashtanga Police come to my room and force me to do as many chaturanga I can bare until my arms give up?

Of course no! After all we are humans and not machines.

Tomorrow will be another day :-)