In this first post in my movement section, I wanted to talk about the Y word. Yeah, that four letter word that comes with a host of connotations, good and bad. I’m talking about, Yoga.
What could be bad about Yoga you ask? Well nothing. You are right. But in today’s society it seems as though you are either a yoga person or you are not. You are a granola eater, or you do chicken and waffles. Why so serious peoples? Why such two heavy dissects? Cause the key to the thing, the very thing that yoga is, is that what it is all about in essence is balance, mind and body. No shit, you are standing on one leg most of the time! And yeah, I did say shit. Shit, fuck, you can do yoga and swear too. Though I find, that where cursing is concerned you a) do less of it and b) it is usually a descriptor or enhancer not an accusation eg… “shit man, that warrior pose felt sweet” . Again, balance 😉
So here’s the thing, I started doing yoga probably about…. 12 years ago. Off and on, I dabbled, somewhat regularly. I was good at IT. So I did IT. Sporadically but I did. It wasn’t until I needed Yoga, that I GOT yoga. There is a huge difference here. And either or are not bad, btw. However you benefit from it, it is indeed a good thing.
I needed it. It turned my body into meditation in movement. Deepening mindfulness to where I could sense the sweat beading on my body, not quick to wipe it away. I felt it, I felt grateful for it. So, it took this turn in my life, to make a commitment to something I knew would help me if I wanted it to. I committed to showing up on that mat every day. Every single day rain or shine, sweat, blood and tears. It’s funny, recently I debated replacing my threadbare yoga mat, but you know what, I couldn’t face the thought yet. The amount of hours that magic carpet has held me up in safety, the amount of DNA that exists and lives on there. It is like a valuable hard drive of so many stories being parsed out, sweated out, breathed out, really fucking stretched out. So I couldn’t. I couldn’t bare the thought of parting ways. I know this will be another step down the line.
A few weeks back I celebrated 6 months of daily yoga practice. No not at home, in studio, even on Christmas etc. I have to. The space it has given me is not just a gift it is now a part of my life. I have to, and I need to, and the beautiful thing is, now I want to. So I’ll continue on, my mind and body pushing boundaries, I don’t know how many days, months, years in a row I will be there, but for now I plan to indefinitely.
Physical ability has always been important for me, but now, it involves my brain too and together it’s limitless. We bend and we stretch, but we don’t break. There may BE breaks, but we do not break. So as we gain stretch and flexibility, the chances of breaking become less of a risk. What a way to live by. I’m going to think of that one a lot and try and remember this daily. It is everywhere that this can be practiced, not just in the hot room on the hardwood, and that my peeps, that is yoga. Yoga is off the floor, being flexible, balancing ever so delicately on the thin wire of life that always, always has us on our toes and if we push ourselves to limits we may actually stand still.
Thank you! Your words make me smile and breath deep…
what a beautiful comment, Simone. Thank you