How a Garden Grows

This spring I have made a commitment to my garden.  I have this lovely little outdoor space off of my kitchen that I can do whatever I want with.  It is private and there is Earth to plant in.  We have lived in this place for two years and over the past two years I have had an on-again off-again relationship with this space.  I love the idea of growing a garden, but I have to admit, I have little knowledge.  So I started learning.  Living in Southern California, and knowing my previous record of care for plants, I have decided to plant desert plants, succulents and things that don’t need a lot of water or fuss.  So far so good.  Something I have discovered -and interestingly enough this lesson is something I have been learning in my physical yoga practice as well- doing a little bit everyday is better than doing a lot one day every week.  So each day I go out to my garden.  One day I pull some weeds, rake and sweep some leaves the next, a little trimming here and there.  There is very little effort involved but the constant small effort translates to a lovely space each day.

My asana practice is the same.  I have two children and three days a week I look after a friend’s child as well.  Of course I would love to spend an hour or more on my mat each day, but a lot of days, by the time the day is done and the kids are in bed, I look at my mat and want to fall asleep!  This equals and accumulation of time NOT spent in a physical practice.  After a few days off, getting back on is definitely more difficult.  There is more space to clear, “clutter” to be removed, and focus to be built back up.  Knowing this and learning from my adventures in gardening I have started setting a goal of doing 10 sun salutations throughout the day.  Four in the morning, three in the after noon, and three at night .  When I have more time to spend I add in some other poses, but if I can’t I know I have done well enough for the day.  It’s the little up keep done each day that keeps my body feeling strong and open.