into my shell or sails unfurled?

Yoga is always a place of revelations for me.  Whether I'm discovering a new flexibility or new pose or whether I'm discovering a new sense of courage or vulnerability, a part of me is always moved by my time on the mat.  Today was no different.  It was a class about the basics.  Breathing.  Balancing.  Grounding.  Rounding up.  Stretching out.  And then those most basic of things were turned into a number of poses - most of which I barely stood a chance at achieving.  But the cool thing was that even if I couldn't get into scissor leg side crow (it's sort of crazy but sort of possible...one day), I could do parts of it. I could breathe.  I could balance.  I could push into the ground.  And then one day, with practice, I'll be able to round up from there and stretch out.  One day it will be time to unfurl the sails.  For now, it's a time to stretch out of my shell a little, but still find the comfort and security that is there.  Yes, my word for the year was courage.  And it still is.  But I'm learning that courage doesn't necessarily mean letting the sails out all at once and that I can inch out and then retreat and still call that brave.