Quieting my mind…reflections on a week of yoga

We live in a world where busy is king and many of us worship at the altar of multitasking. I know personally there are times when I feel almost as if I am a slacker when I admit that I need regular down time and that to be honest too much “busy” makes me feel out of control. For so long I tried to use my online time as my “me” time but the truth is while being online is fun and a great way to avoid life and work at times, it is hardly the quiet rejuvenating time that I need to feel balanced. Too much time spent online actually makes me anxious as I end up consuming way too much news and energy from others. Even the daily latte is not truly relaxation in a cup though it is mighty damn tasty.

Last weekend I found myself journaling and asking myself what could I do daily to keep myself rooted and grounded and relaxed. Go to a yoga class everyday was what wrote I in my journal and I immediately dismissed the idea, after all how could I possibly fit in a yoga class every day? Now I enjoy doing yoga at home on my mat but I find going to class keeps me from hurting myself since at home it’s easy to hold a position the wrong way. There is also the fact that if I am at home, it’s easy to be distracted but at the same time going every day seemed difficult after all I have work, my family, this blog…yada, yada. My hand responded by writing “excuses, try again”. So I looked up the schedule at the studio and realized that with some changes in my schedule, going to class almost every day was possible but it would require making a commitment and a willingness to give up some of that other “me” time I thought I needed.

Well as I write this piece, I have gone to classes at the studio 5 times in the past 7 days with 4 of those days being in a row. As someone who usually goes to class 2-3 times a week this was a huge shift and a little nerve wracking especially since classes sometimes run late (pretty certain at my studio, time is an abstract concept at times). However as I shared on my personal Facebook page, the effects have been astounding. Yesterday while sitting in my office after class, I realized that for once I was at work and my mind wasn’t racing from one thought to another, instead there was a stillness and a mellowness that was very reminiscent of how I feel when I am on my 3rd glass of wine. Yet unlike wine, I was fully present and aware and when extra thoughts started to come to mind, I made the conscious choice to ignore them.

Physically, I feel pretty okay though I admit half way through yesterday’s class, while in plank position my elbow was loudly saying “Hey girl, why ya working us so hard”.  Now I know that yoga is not everyone’s thing (looking at you man of mine) but I do think we all need a quiet refuge and ideally on a daily basis. Our bodies and minds are constantly on the go and today’s technology makes us go even further and frankly all go and no rest is just a bad thing even when we think we are thriving on all that busy. (I am a recovering busy addict; I used to think busy was really good)

So this week I proved to myself that it is possible to take time for myself, every day and now we will see if I can keep it up especially through the busy holiday season. I will keep y’all posted, until then….

Namaste