“may 5th, my heart is like a bomb……”
–American Idiot
Another gloomy day in New York.
This blah weather we’ve been having makes me even more excited to live in California this fall. I miss the sunshine.
Gloomy days are perfect for yoga though….
Day 5 of the Yoga Challenge
This morning was much better than yesterday’s class. My body was far more cooperative and it felt so so good to stretch this morning. The class was with a teacher I’ve never had before. It is great to have the opportunity to take class with various teachers at Yoga Vida, experiencing their different styles of teaching and what their trade marks are. Todays class had a whole lotta chatarungas. I might be a freak because I love me some chaturanga, but wow doing a lot of them at the beginning of class is tough!
Today was all about listening to my body, what was the best variation for me today. Sometimes it is easy to become secretly competitive “obviously I’m going to take the most difficult variation!” For me personally there’s always this inner guilt that I am being lazy if I don’t try the hardest version of a pose. THIS IS NOT TRUE. and this is something I have to constantly remind myself. Some days I can push harder and try things that are difficult, but other days I need to back off. By listening to my body I took cues for what was really the best variation to be doing today, the one that doesn’t hurt my arm, the one that feels good and the one that is the best match for today.
One of the most difficult parts of being injured for me is feeling lazy. As someone who prides herself in being strong, it is such a challenge to acknowledge the fact that I am not strong right now, and that is not because I am lazy. It’s actually because I injured myself being anything but lazy. Modification is not laziness. When I drop to a lower weight in a strength training class it is not because I am lazy, it is because I have to. When I modify a pose in yoga it is not because I am lazy, it is because I have to. Constantly I have to remind myself that it is not laziness, laziness would be sitting on my couch sulking about my arm. Modifying is necessary for me to continue doing some of the things I love. I’m trying to kick the lazy stigma in the butt (and also punch it with my working left arm). Doing something to the best of your ability is never laziness.
and now, it is time for a super exciting intenSati workshop about positive psychology! getting to be nerdy while also getting to exercise? yes please!
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