Yoga can be challenging. I’m sure we’ve all had those days when our hamstrings didn’t want to stretch, our breath didn’t want to flow and our mula bandha’s are, well, let’s just say they aren’t being very supportive today. Don’t feel alone or discouraged. We’ve all been there! Let’s face it, in the words of Bryan Kest, “we aren’t spring chickens anymore.” I know I’m not. In chicken speak I’d be a hen, a 35-year-old hen. Sad but true. I’m one of those people who get excited when someone tells me I still look 25, YES! Why does being a pretend age make me so happy? Probably because I’m like most of the Americans out there. Obsessed with youth, and never happy with where I am. I’m always striving to get somewhere better because surely better, can’t be here. RIGHT?
Well, why not?
On Saturday morning, I did yoga. I was tired and my neck was stiff from my love affair with a pillow that I refuse to throw away because it’s made of feathers and it makes me feel like a queen. There I said it! So, I walk into class, roll out my mat and get into child’s pose. As I listen to the teacher talk about “taking my own breaks,” “understanding my own body,” and that “we are not here to compete.” My mind is thinking about food and the really fancy jump backs this guy next to me is doing. So, going against my better judgement, I start to work through the pain. I stick an extra push-up in here, I go for the head stand over there, and I even hold warrior III like a champ. GRRRRR. Then, it happens, slight at first but I feel it. The pain in my neck moves to my shoulder and suddenly my push-ups are going anywhere but up. All because I wanted to be better.
In yoga everything is linked together. The mind is connected to the body which moves in connection with the breath. When something is wrong, a warning signal goes off, the breath becomes erratic, the mind wanders, your body tweaks out. It’s up to you to back off, even if you think you can be better. Getting better doesn’t mean to beat yourself up, or inject yourself with collagen, it means finding that balance between too much and not enough. It’s understanding that your body is not going to feel the same everyday. One day you’ll be tired, another day you’ll be Ironman, another day you’ll be gumby. Your job is to work within the boundaries of your body and realize that you’re perfect just the way you are!
