You always hear people say how important it is to choose your battles wisely, in any relationship, but most especially while raising children. This same caution can be practiced across the board — even in your relationship with your own body.

In rolling out the mat these days, I find that force my body to adhere to the exacting ashtanga flow may not be a battle worth fighting right now.  This is especially true when trying to insist upon keeping up with the regimented count. Sometimes I hold my breath, longer than I want, just to hold off in progressing to the next pose. It’s not good.

Like having a war of wits with a terrible-two-year-old, reasoning just isn’t the best mode of action. Similarly forcing the issue, as I have been guilty of doing with YaYa lately, is no more successful. It doesn’t work on him, nor does it seem to work with my body.

Those moments when one discovers that they have let their self get so caught up in the battle, purely on principle, are sad moments. But it is the times where the discovery is not made which are worse. They lead to complete and utter frustration for all involved. And, sometimes, people get hurt.

But we are talking about yoga here.  Aren’t we?

Deciphering which battles need fighting (or coaxing at least), and which ones really don’t need to be mandated, is not always as clear as it should be. I can’t always tell which aches can be worked through and which need me to abandon the effort.

As with everything else, I’m learning to put an end to the seemingly constant battles on and off the mat… or at least I’m trying to.