Sunday 18 August 2013

I wanna do it my way .... Yoga

I have been practicing self-designed yoga  for a while now.  I am not very good at it, but that's ok. It is my 15 minutes of feel-good breathing and stretching, whenever I can manage it.  

I have a standing up routine for outdoors (on the end of a pier, or a quite spot in a park) and a lying down routine for the carpet at home.

My  life timetable is so erratic that making a proper class is a major issue.  When I did make it to a class, the teacher spent a lot of time correcting my position.  It hurt.  That isn't what I wanted, I wanted to enjoy it, not grimace and feel stupid.

I bought a couple of yoga books - especially two by Tara Stiles (yoga guru to the stars!) and put together my own routine; included positions I like to do and found easy to sustain and generally made me feel good. 

And I do it - at least 3-4 times a week.  Badly and awkwardly, but I do it. And I love it.
 
Choosing the positions that I love makes me enjoy it totally.  I do it when it is quiet, or I do it playing music I love. My time, my choice.

My yoga and my walking (read ... dawdling while daydreaming) make me happy.  Riding waves in summer is fun.  Dancing to great music (either by myself or with good friends)  is good for the soul.  Gentle and no pressure. 

I have come to terms with the fact that it doesn't make me happy to do exercises I don't like to do - at least not anymore.

I used to be really into the adrenaline rush.  I did fun runs, half marathons, triathlons and trained and pushed and motivated myself into every bit of pain. 

Then, I decided .. NO MORE.   

'Push ups' may give you gorgeous arms but they are a chore, not a delight.

Sprinting up hills may be great for fat burning, but it is not fun.

Hey life is too short ... I will do it my way; gently, relaxingly and happily.  Just not gracefully!

For those of you who chase the rush; if you love it ... do it.  After all, happiness with yourself is  the reward.

1 comment:

  1. I am fairly fit and I still don't know how you managed to do those fun runs, marathons and triathlons. At least you can say been there and done that.
    Keep enjoying the yoga, I must admit I do enjoy a good stretch and the balance thing is great too for the mind as well, or so they tell me anyway.

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