asana as time portal

I found myself in this pose: Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana, on the chair, with bent legs, while in class with my teacher.

As I coiled my thoracic spine over the edge of the chair, a memory resurfaced of my legs trembling and shaking. Of not being able to press my feet down. This memory from a previous class with her... maybe 10 years or more earlier.

And now, here I was, back in the present... no shaking, the soles of my feet firmly planted on the ground.

Asana is like a portal or timekeeper: the past, present, and even potential futures all in this one moment.

As I practice, contentment feels like the only way to be with each pose. When a pose is easy, when it's challenging. When I can't do it, when I can do it. With props, without props.

Whatever the situation, choosing contentment in each pose helps me honor where I've been, honor where I am, and be open to future possibilities yet to emerge.

My personal practice has ebbed and flowed throughout the years; And my practice will inevitably change in the years to come. This glimpse of my past dwi pada reminded me that all is present in each moment.

And I trust that the intelligence of my bones, of my muscles, of my fascia, of my nerves... the intelligence in my cells will still be present, even when I can no longer do.

Do you have a practice that has been with you through many seasons of your life? How has it been a portal, a timekeeper, how has it held all of you through time?