Reading my yoga Kula forums this evening, somebody expressed their frustration at doing a practice that they’ve done before with ease, but tonight it was a struggle, and some poses couldn’t be done or couldn’t be held long enough. They also went on to reflect that life is also like that sometimes, off the mat.
Boy howdy… I could easily relate, having been there myself, on and off the mat. Particularly off, of late. Then I realized: I handle it much better on the mat. I just accept that “this is where I’m at today”, and keep pressing onward as best I can, which sometimes isn’t at all. Sometimes I just drop down into child’s pose and wait for the current posture to be finished so I can do the rest of the video.
But in real life? Not so much. In real life, I don’t take regression well at all. If I did it last week/month/year, I want to do it again – if not better – today. I recently had a minor meltdown because of that. I need to carry my lessons off the mat, and accept: this is just where you’re at today. Try again later.
The past year has been quite a ride, and I’ve no intention of stopping it. I’ve always admired yoga from a distance. Back before the weight loss I had tried to get into yoga a couple of times, with a DVD or online videos, but that’s not the best way to learn anything, and coupled with my girth and general lack of fitness, it just wasn’t happening.
Ninety pounds later, and with pretty decent fitness thanks to my running regimen, I saw a notice for a free “Yoga for Runners” class at a not-so-local (hour drive) running store. But that store is a block away from a brewery I like, so I figured “why not?” and made a night of it. I loved it. I felt great afterwards. For some reason, though, I just never managed to make it to the local yoga studio that is about 5 blocks from my house… So in February (they do these classes monthly) I did it again.
Still unsure why I seem incapable of going to the studio just down the street, I took some recommendations I’d heard for Down Dog (a phone app) and Yoga with Adriene (YWA) on YouTube. With a couple classes under my belt, my grasp of what to do was a bit better than during my failed attempts years ago. I started with the intro sessions in Down Dog, and I actually enjoy yoga at home now. There’s something to be said, though, for being in a room of like-minded people, and I might just keep treating myself once a month to a night out at Yoga for Runners.
Today was Day 1 of the 30 day “TRUE” series on YWA for me, and I think once I get through these 30 days, yoga will be a daily ritual for me. Day 1 is titled Motive, and asks what motivates me to do this. In no particular order:
To sculpt my body into something more attractive than what it is right now.
To improve my flexibility.
To become a better runner.
To simply enjoy this thing that I’ve discovered I love doing, and learn to do it better.
Namaste.
