Pondering yoga today…from a rookie’s point of view. This mommy can barely do a bow pose. Any amount of warrior 1, 2, or 3 and my hamstrings FIGHT me. Nothing that involves a back bend AT ALL. Not graceful, not pretty but am determined to balance my body. From the perspective of a runner, yoga is practically mandatory. It can really offer your body the opposite of what running does. Running and cycling are all in the front to back forms of motion and yoga works from the core outward. Strength, flexibility and mind strengthening concentration.

Yoga means different things to different people. The more I do it, the more I am challenged by it. I could see myself if given the time and opportunity attending yoga everyday. Thrive on the internal challenges that yoga offers. Love that feeling of being strong, balanced and graceful in the setting of a yoga class. If all things are going well, I can walk out of yoga feeling like I won the lottery! It can be a complete body drainage- in body and mind. Forced to clearly think about every step of the pose and the “monkey mind” MUST be shut off.

I am able to attend yoga now when it’s offered at the Y (because of childcare) and even though the setting is not ideal- massive loud music pounding the floors, construction outside the window with tractors and rigs backing up with “beep beep beep”, high school students tapping and giggling on the windows, it’s still better than NO yoga. Wishing for the darkened room with the heat, fans and absolute yoga like experience. That experience is more like a TREAT for this mom. Almost as good as a pedicure or a good book or a night on the town for me! But, alas, I will remain practicing yoga at the Y for as long as is necessary.

It seems like every teacher, every book I’ve read have a different view on yoga. I have been inhaling for one move and exhaling for the next all using my nose only. Moving meditation is what I believe yoga to be for most. Also, I believe yoga is not considered “exercise” by yogis. I think true yoga is to prepare you to meditate for long periods of time.

I’ve really enjoyed this book and here is an excellent view of what yoga is that I just wanted to share with you:

“Yoga is the effort to experience one’s divinity personally and then hold on the that experience forever. Yoga is about self-mastery and the dedicated effort to haul your attention away from your endless brooding over the past and your nonstop worrying about the future so that you can seek, instead, a place of eternal presence from which you may regard yourself and your surroundings with poise. Only that point of even-mindedness will the true nature of the world (and yourself) be revealed to you.”

Visualizing the perfect pose…