The purpose of practice is to cultivate the ability to participate fully in Life. Mind, body, and breath, the movement of Life itself, are brought together in a unified experience. You feel the energy of Life flowing in you. You become intimate with Life.
I was well into the flow of my practice today when the light coming in the windows quickly faded. I heard the sound of wind in the trees and saw leaves and branches begin to move in the energy of the arriving storm. The power of the storm called to me.
I paused my practice and went out to stand on the front steps as wind swirled through the treetops and brought a flurry of poplar leaves around me. Thunder sounded, and a spatter of cool raindrops struck my face and arms. As the front passed, the wind abated and the rain increased. I went back inside to continue my practice on the mat, participating in Life as body and breath moved, immersed in the sound of life-giving water flowing down over the plants to the Earth.
Mark Whitwell says that personal practice should be regular and non-obsessive. It should help you find intimacy and freedom, not become yet another obsession or attachment.
Today, a few minutes standing out in the energy of the storm, from the same source of energy that flows within me as Life, became a meaningful, special addition to my daily practice. A gift to me from Nature.
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