Rest quietly in what you know is true. Then act.
April 2009
For the last fifteen years I have been wanting to do yoga every day, and with the exception of a few brief periods have been unable to make this happen. This has been a desire because I know--in my bones and muscles, and from observing older people who have done yoga regularly--that this is a superior way to keep the body and mind flexible and strong as long as possible.
I started learning yoga when I was 15 from a chemistry teacher at my school. She ran a small class in the winter for those of us not involved in other sports. It was a fringe sport, an "alternative" sport, one that merited a room but only a classroom that wasn't in use. Still, we learned a lot that winter. Iyengar yoga. I learned to relax from the immense stress of the long winter in a pressure-cooker private school. I mean, really relax. Like, relax until things really didn't bother me. Relax until the mind was quieter and didn't worry unnecessarily. Relax enough to sleep better so I was more alert when I woke up in the morning. Great life lessons to get early.
Fast-forward fifteen years and there's Carol. Part of of her retirement plan is to take the 6 a.m. hour-and-a-half yoga intensive every morning at the local Iyengar studio. Back then, when I took that class for a month, she had the body, energy and youthful outlook of a healthy 35 year old. She's in her seventies now and can stand on her head.
Despite all this—and despite wanting to—I've been unable to effect a daily practice. Absolutely unable. Every single day I think, "This is what I should be doing. This is what I want to do." Nothing. Not even five minutes. I utterly lack the discipline.
Have you ever wanted something that good for you for that long and put it off indefinitely? I'm beginning to think that living this way is a bizarre form of self-torture.
Posts
I have many things that I have wanted to do but never do them. For a long time I wanted to write a book. So last year I forced myself to do it. It was very hard to sit there and write. I wrote for about three weeks straight till it was done. Maybe one of the hardest things in my life but its finished now. I know it needs plenty of rewriting but I'm not there yet.
ReplyDeleteI have also wanted to start doing tai chi and pilates for a very long time. I start then i stop. I have a bad back problem and some scoliosis and I know both of htese would help but I lack the discipline to do them. They say all it takes is 21 days for something to become a habit so if I start I have to reach that 21 day point.
You should do yoga a little bit at a time. Work up to a full work out. Maybe just do some cobra poses or a few sun salutations and build up from there.
Good Luck.
The best part is, when I got to last June, yoga just started happening every day. This post was from over a year ago. I had so much time and space inside my head and self that there was room to pick up this new habit.
ReplyDeleteYes! ITA. Every other day it's 45 minutes. On the other days it's a few asanas thrown in. But that can expand when I have more time--consistency has been key. Every day. No argument!
Thanks for reading my blog / commenting, and good luck with establishing your practice as well.
I could've written this, about yoga... tapering off my computer use some has already freed time/space.
ReplyDeleteOH! And nearly-7 wants the boys to come over soon! I'll email this week. :-)
It is amazing to just set some limits. I can't self-impose limits so we've shut off the router from 9-5 for the summer. In the fall it'll be some more complex schedule to accomodate work etc. But I couldn't regulate without that external support. The polar ice cap....
ReplyDelete