It hit me whilst in 'down dog' posture (in yoga class) that people who take yoga are generally even tempered...There's a certain level of respect that goes on in a yoga class...1) it's completely non-competitive - -it's about you and your ability..2) there's a ton of breathing that goes with it...it's the breath that gets you into the posture, aids you with sustaining it and perhaps gets you deeper...3) the quiet...you are alone with your thoughts. For some of us, that's a very scary place. There are no distractions, no mobile devices allowed. You spend the duration of class uninterrupted - -completely unaware of what new shade of nail polish is now available, what towels are suddenly on sale for one hour only and that because you are a very special customer that if you order within the allotted time, you will gain Free Shipping...All of which I used to think was true nirvana.
Well - -guess what ? -- It isn't, and all of these needless messages have made me more anxious rather than feeling brilliantly informed.
Yoga should be mandatory for the technology age. It decompresses you, gets you in touch with the inner workings of your body (your personal technology). I think most people can describe and troubleshoot issues with their electronic devices easier than they can describe their feelings or how their body feels (or even more basic, what their body parts are)...hummm... Do you fall into the latter category ? I used to - I decided that if I'm going to make this marathon called life, that I'm going to need to be strong enough to weather it; meaning my physical self (hardware) and my psyche (software) are all going to have to be well maintained and in top working order. Yoga, I have found, is the ultimate diagnostic. It mitigates the outside noise and gives you wonderful focus.
There's nothing new age about it - Yoga's been around for absolutely forever. It has because it works. It's also not a expensive pursuit - -and damn, it feels wonderful. Flexibility and mobility are two things that just improve with practice...oh - here's the baseline - -It is called practice for a reason. You never master it. It is a tool that you can improve with time. Forget about being competitive with 'bendy Barbie' (there's always one in the bunch); here's the one place that doing your best is the right thing and you are rewarded with feeling great.
I use it as my uber-stress reliever. It calms me down, diminishes my anxiety and puts me firmly 'in the now'. I've even gotten bold enough to leave my phone (Blackberry, packing 4 e-mail streams, twitter and the other very, very important communications feeds I require) in the car (notice to criminals, it's under the passenger seat) in off-mode.
This is my New Year's gift to you....try Yoga. If you are completely intimidated by the possibility of doing this...let me know... I have a small but growing group online that I send pose directions and attentions to...sometimes we all need a nudge to get going - -albeit virtual.
All my best and just start with deep breathing for 5 minutes...Can you do that ?
Kit
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