Tenacious
Just when you think you cannot walk one more step or finish a major project or repair a damaged relationship, somewhere deep inside you, you find the courage, strength and resolve to continue. Being tenacious has an energy all its own. It is what draws the yogini back to the mat after a long absence. It is the surge of enthusiasm that motivates you to get a project completed. It is what allows you the find the words to heal a friendship. Tenacity gives you staying power, remaining cohesive and tough through the years no matter what you face. Like an old truck that starts right up even though it has weathered many a storm, seemingly forgotten, your tenacity is the motivational key to living a deep and meaningful life.
In the Woods, Tulalip, Washington
"Being tenacious, I hold fast to those
commitments that make my life full."
Yoga Pose: Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose Supta Padangusthasana
Take yourself onto your yoga mat - no matter how long it has been - with this reclined pose.
Foundation. Start lying on your back with your legs strongly extended and your shoulder blades pressed into the earth, with your arms along your sides.
Position. Exhale and bend your left knee towards your chest. Maintain a strong extension through the right heel. Reach down and take hold of your left foot with your left hand (or use a strap). Inhale and extend the left heel to the sky.
Torso. Broaden the shoulder blades and widen the collarbones.
Arms. Reach your right arm overhead, stretching all the way through your fingertips.
Hips. Release the head of your left thigh bone deeply into your pelvis. Allow your left leg to lengthen through the belly of the hamstring muscle, drawing your leg a little closer to your head.
Core Work. Increase the intensity of the pose and strengthen your core by lifting your right heel slightly above the ground.
Gaze. Soften your jaw and eyes. Gaze upward. Hold for several breaths. To come out of the pose, bend your left knee, let go of your foot (or remove the strap). Return your left leg to the earth.
B R E A T H E
[Repeat on the other side]
Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuse, Pahrump, Nevada