Shanti Virabhadrasana - peaceful warrior. This is one of my favorite poses. The stretch to the side body and the opening of the heart.
Peaceful warrior feels perfect somehow. I love the idea of a peaceful pose. A pose that is not in any way aggressive.
When I find a teacher who works the class into warrior two, I always have the craving for peaceful. It just seems natural.
Being at peace is not always easy. Since I've maintained a daily practice, I do find it easier to find that sense of peace - calm. It's not always there, but more often.
I remember being on the Camino and having suffered a pretty bad day. It was mostly mental, but there was some physical discomfort too. The day was long and the walking was mostly tarmac. Hoofing it along the shoulder of the road as cars flew by and the heat pounded down. By the time we reached the bridge of the town, a full 2 kilometers from the actual town, I was done.
Kim talked me through the next few kilos. She was wise and calm and she nursed my head the last little bit. Upon arrival at the albergue for the night, Kim said, "Here. Take a sit. I'll grab you some wine. Maybe take in a little bit of yoga."
I sat and thought about moving through a few poses. I had a glass of vino tinto. I stood and worked my way through a few salutations and into some gentle warrior poses. Bhakti - warrior two - bhakti - warrior two - peaceful.
There it was. I felt the anger and frustration slip away. Maybe it was the glass of wine, but I have a notion that the yoga was the real aid. I continued to move from peaceful to two to bhakti and forth and back several times.
being at peace is not always easy. But taking in a gentle practice in the waning daylight with a glass of wine within reach sure helps.