I'm gonna be honest with you all, everyday I do yoga does not mean everyday is an hour. Sometimes it's only 30 minutes, but I still feel amazing afterwards. This weekend was about 15 minutes of mostly staying on the ground and doing floor poses that stretched out my back, neck, and legs since that's what parts of my body hurt the most. I knew exactly what my body needed. Listen to your body!! Yoga makes you feel amazing, but you can't over do it or you could get hurt (as with any exercise.) Had I done my normal routine of lunges and balance poses I probably would have taken longer to heal from whatever weekend bug I had. I felt like I cheated myself at first, but now looking back at it I'm really glad I listened to my body and did what I could without going too far.
On a happier note; I tried a meditation class and totally connected with it! My boss, and long time friend, had connections with a man who opened up a meditation studio. I've tried meditating on my own and I like it, but I wanted to try this class to see how I could improve, plus I was told he was cute and single so how could I refuse!? So I went. Meditation is difficult, but it's also a good opportunity to dig deep and find yourself. The first session was guided, so he told us when to breathe, what to think, and brought realization to ourselves in that moment. Then after a bit of stretching, on our second session, it was ourselves alone with our minds.
Our teacher, Dallin, said a lot of really key points that made me feel better for having a less than clear mind. When you are alone with yourself, it's hard to keep the thoughts from racing. Me personally, I'm a planner. What do I have to get to after this class? What time do I work tomorrow? What am I going to wear? Etc. Dallin recommended counting our breaths and bringing our attention to each one. Notice that you breathe in, feel that you breathe out. Be in the moment. Wonderful moment. After practicing for 7 years he still finds it difficult at times to get to 10 breaths without a distracting thought popping up. The mind is an incredibly hard thing to quiet because we've lived our whole lives letting it run without a second thought. Focusing on your breath and nothing else helps a bit. I even surprised myself and got up to 7 breaths before I had a disruptive thought.
Dallin gave the analogy that our thoughts are a log in a river: we are so worried about losing them that we cling onto the log and float down the river with it that we never even think that sitting on the shore is an option. We can sit idly by on the shoreline and just watch our thoughts come, notice them, and then let them go. I thought of this analogy a lot during meditation. Every time I had a thought I noticed it, then let it go. We have such a hard time quieting our minds because we don't want to let go of our ego. Our ego, or reputation, has taken so long to build up, that we can't even set it aside for a few minutes to quiet the mind and get to know ourselves on the inside. That is embarrassingly sad to me. What is it about ourselves that makes us believe that we don't like ourselves? Look deep inside. Count your breaths. Enjoy the moment. Every moment is a wonderful moment.
After meditation I went to my yoga class, and had a whole new experience with that. When I meditated on my own I normally only did it for 5 minutes or so after yoga. Practicing yoga after meditation was a beautiful new thing to experience. My mind was already so quiet and relaxed that yoga was easier. I focused more on my breath instead of perfecting the poses like I normally do. Because my mind was relaxed my body was relaxed as well so the poses came more naturally. It was more enlightening than a regular practice is. At the end I felt so accomplished. I did it! I did well, and I was happy with my progress. I had a smile on my face the whole time and was just in a good mood in general. Not to mention they were perfect activities to do right before bed!
Last night I went to a yoga class as well. This time my teacher told us to think of a positive thought. I chose "Be you. Feel the connection to your soul." Throughout the class she brought us back to this thought. "Whatever you picked, think of that thought right now as you go deeper in the pose." As the minutes ticked by and I was constantly reminded to go back to thinking "Be you. Feel the connection to your soul" I found the craving to do yoga for longer. I didn't want class to end. I felt so good about myself and I honestly felt the connection to my soul like I wanted. I could feel my energy heat up and create vibrations when I went back to my positive thought. I love me! This class was amazing because I was having a good time flowing with my breath and feeding my soul. I felt confident. Strong. Both in my yoga practice, and in my inner self.
Each day, each time I practice yoga, it becomes easier to want to be ME. I'm getting better every time and it's a challenge that a lot of people miss because of fear. I challenge you to practice meditation, it's hard to quiet the mind, but believe me, it's worth it. I challenge you to have a positive thought in your next yoga practice, or even just in your day to day life. Come back to it throughout the day, notice it, appreciate it, and above all, be you!
Namaste.
Also here's a pic of my sick self with bed head after I
still managed to somehow do yoga. If I can do it, so can you.
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