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Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, United States
Karen is a yogini, writer, student, teacher and meditator. She founded Garden Street School of Yoga in 2000. Karen lives with her husband Chris. They have two amazing sons, Eli and Leo (both of them young men).

Jan 10, 2010

Harder Work

It's Sunday evening. We had a wonderful weekend workshop with Desiree Rumbaugh. We had a group of approx. 45 - mostly from Idaho and Montana. It was a great time - very happy and full of good work.

The "Garden Street Goddesses" - aka studio teachers - Beth, Jen, Thine and Terri - were so generous with their help and welcoming spirits. It was never before so easy and enjoyable to host a workshop as when I've had those 4 beauties on board.

Desiree was energetic and happy and very motivational. She can really get people to work hard.

What I personally loved best about the workshop - aside from the brightness of the people present - was the confirmation of my growing awareness that after 50 one actually has to work harder to stay awake and alive in this great gift of a physical body. You don' get to retire! And I am clearer that I ever was at 20 or 30 or 4o that my body is a vehicle - a perfectly designed miracle - for the luminosity of and awakening of consciousness.

So - it's true! The path gets steeper the further you go. It's true. When you work hard, you are rewarded with harder work! Why do I sound so cheerful? (I should be having a tantrum).

It looks to me like everybody is working harder as they get older. Maybe I just don't know the right people! The people I do know do not appear to be sinking into a cushion of ease as they age. Some are working harder at just being in the body as various health challenges arise. Other elders that I know and love seem to be working harder at surrendering to life as it is.....and working harder at praying.

So if it's the case that you are going to work harder, and surrender is inevitabel, then the only real questions is "work harder for what?" and "surrender to what?"

Working hard for and surrendering to Grace is like the hard work bees do to make honey. What better thing to do with this one outrageous gift of a life!?

Harder work in my Asana practice is tricky for me because Asana is so familiar. I've just been at it for so long. Even this weekend has not left me sore. So for me, hard work is to become more of a beginner in my approach to the practice - stay more focused and change the way I work. And that is hard - because I like my ruts as well as the next person.

OK - I could go on - but tomorrow morning begins Immersion III and that is one heck of a big (and happy) chunk of work so I had better get off of this and on to that.

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