Sitting Practice
by Jerry Harris

For the past two weeks I have avoided my sitting practice. I don't want to look for excuses but two come to mind. One issue is the season of Christmas. I do not celebrate Christmas in all of it commercial splendor but my family and friends do. So this fact I must accept. I also have for many years of my life participated in the Christmas celebration by making a list and checking it twice before I go and have my own seasonal suffering hoping to find happiness in presents. Although I have not given gifts for years, each year there is some guilt bestowed my way from people I encounter because of this fact.

The other issue is the holiday is so entrenched in society, the media and work. It is a great time to be festive and even though we do not buy presents, I still enjoy looking for antique holiday decorations and displaying them. We actually have a small tree with lights that we display year round just because. Then there are the social events. This time of year is full of social events and those take time too. So those are my excuses. Now that I have stated my excuses, let's see if I can accept them, stop complaining and get back to my sitting practice.

Just an Entry
by Jerry Harris

Yoga class today was great. I spoke up at the end of class to get some ideas on how to combat my issues with bending at the hips. I have tight hamstrings and they restrict me from fully getting into the forward stretches when trying to keep my legs straight. I want to keep my legs straight.

I was incouraged to practice bending at the hips daily knowing that this will improve with practice. By asking that question, I was inspired to work harder on my yoga practice. I find I like doing the poses I can do but I don't spend much time on the ones I can't because of the discomfort. Now, knowing I will see improvement even just doing what I can do will ease the discomfort and allow me to go deeper into the stretch.