Regarding the Handbook...

A good reminder to all: Be kind to yourself when you practice yoga. Go slowly, especially in the beginning, and listen to your body. It knows what it can do. If it says "stop," stop. Don't push it. Yoga is not a competitive sport. You don't win points for matching a picture in a book (or in a handout!).If you've been looking at some of the poses in the Second Series and beyond, I hope you can feel inspired rather than discouraged. Please don't feel you have to be able to do any of those poses, especially if you are new to the practice. I overheard several people sitting on the couches saying, as they flipped through the booklet, "I could NEVER do that!" - I understand the sentiment, but guess what: that's the ego talking. It may not seem so, since it's a negative statement, but the ego loves to focus on what we CAN'T do, rather than what we CAN. So if you get trapped in a negative thought pattern regarding yoga, immediately remind yourself that with even one Ujjayi breath, you are practicing powerful yoga. When it comes right down to it, everything else is just details :)