My little boy had a bad dream the other morning and needed some comfort. I just couldn’t get back to sleep. So at 5:30 a.m. I decided to find my yoga mat in the dark. I did lots of Sun Salutations and was grooving on the repetition. Then I realized I was holding my ankles up in Downward Facing Dog instead of letting them relax toward the mat.

The muscles on the backs of my legs have been historically short. And yoga has made a difference but I still relate the sensation of an intense stretch with the excruciating stretches of my pre-yoga days. I was holding my ankles up to avoid not just discomfort but any *memory* of discomfort.

It was like I had already decided it was going to be a tough day with the lack of sleep. And I had already decided I was going to spend the day tired and short of energy. So therefore I figured I deserved to avoid just a little discomfort here on the mat. And I had decided this all without being aware of it.

So I made a point of relaxing. Sure there was some discomfort but as the muscles were able to stretch, it passed. And it reminded me again that nothing is permanent. I can’t arrange my whole life to avoid discomfort and why would I want to? And what was I doing deciding my day was going to go one way or the other? The sun wasn’t even up. It was a reminder to let the moment unfold as it’s meant to. To let my ankles relax even into a 6:00 a.m. Downward Facing Dog.