This quest to practice yoga every day, preferably in a class with an instructor who inspires and adjusts, is less a New Year’s resolution and more a matter of timing – semester break – and a very generous Christmas present – a gift card to Repose Yoga, my favorite studio – from son #2. More of a runner, biker, x-c skier, swimmer, aerobic-kind-of exerciser, I have come to terms with a body’s need to do more than sweat, pant, and release endorphins. Just ask my knees, my back, and, today, my aching left foot. A body needs to move not just forward but in all directions. A body needs a healthy heart rate, but it also needs strength, flexibility. Balance.
Yoga, of course, provides all of the above – and more if practiced with consistency and concentration. By definition, it is an ancient art that blends the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. In my sporadic practice – you could call me a yoga dabbler – I’ve become less of a flailing distraction to my neighboring yogis, but grace and total focus have yet to touch my mat. And we won’t even talk about the dreaded inversions. A headstand? Really?
Yet I always feel lighter, happier after a yoga class, regardless if my tree pose toppled. Who knows what magic might befall me with a steady diet of “oms” and upward facing dogs and eagle poses. Will my racing mind quiet at night? Will my posture improve? Will I gain focus? And will I ever master a headstand?
For the next month, I aspire to attend a yoga class a day and, in this blog. chronicle what I learn. Stay tuned.
Yoga, of course, provides all of the above – and more if practiced with consistency and concentration. By definition, it is an ancient art that blends the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. In my sporadic practice – you could call me a yoga dabbler – I’ve become less of a flailing distraction to my neighboring yogis, but grace and total focus have yet to touch my mat. And we won’t even talk about the dreaded inversions. A headstand? Really?
Yet I always feel lighter, happier after a yoga class, regardless if my tree pose toppled. Who knows what magic might befall me with a steady diet of “oms” and upward facing dogs and eagle poses. Will my racing mind quiet at night? Will my posture improve? Will I gain focus? And will I ever master a headstand?
For the next month, I aspire to attend a yoga class a day and, in this blog. chronicle what I learn. Stay tuned.