Twist and shout (Week 35)
"If God had meant us to do yoga, he would have put our heads behind our knees."
I can see why Rod Stewart is down on yoga. In his rock 'n' roll autobiography, he talks about trying it once and falling into the fireplace. So I took that as a fair warning during my week of karmic exercise and stayed well away from Rod Stewart.
Despite what you may have heard or imagined, I am not flexible. I am almost anti-flexible, if that's possible. The few times I've tried yoga, my body shouted out with pain as I tried to hold one pose after another. This from a guy who regularly tortures himself with endurance running and considers himself a bit of a fitness nut. So I knew this would not be easy, and it wasn't.
Still, I soldiered on day after day, using a handy website to walk me through the various poses for beginners. I began by learning that yoga is not stretching. That was an insight all on its own. I tried to focus on the weird stuff I'd heard yoga instructors talk about, like mindfulness...and being in the moment. That elevates yoga from a series of bendy contortions into something people have described as being spiritual. Just the thing for a non-flexible agnostic like me!
Yeah, I get that whole eastern swami zen thing, but it gets a bit much if you ask me. I don't think I'm any closer to nirvana after a week spent on a yoga mat becoming a proud warrior or downward facing dog.
So, how about the scores of other good stuff? Believe it or not, one source has listed 38 health benefits of yoga. I won't go into each one, but let's park the wacky proclamations like it "uses sound to soothe your sinuses" and look at the claim that yoga "makes you happier." I think they might have something there.
Maybe it helped that Val and I were travelling to Quebec's Eastern Townships this week. Maybe it also helped that we spent our days cycling past richly hued autumn colours and through quaint villages. Maybe there's also something to be said about the many bottles of wine we chugged back with our friends every night. But finishing it off with some yoga in our bedroom as Val lounged luxuriously in the tub? Yeah, you bet I was happy!
I think I'm going to stick with this yoga thing, and keep it personal in my own space. I don't need to get into a steamy studio with 20 other people where I'll feel like some lechy old dude leering from the back row, and I don't really crave the meditative part of it because I'm doing that already.
Nope, I'm just gonna roll out the trusty ol' mat, dial in some Enya, and get twisty all by my lonesome.
Next week: Going plastic-free!
I can see why Rod Stewart is down on yoga. In his rock 'n' roll autobiography, he talks about trying it once and falling into the fireplace. So I took that as a fair warning during my week of karmic exercise and stayed well away from Rod Stewart.
Despite what you may have heard or imagined, I am not flexible. I am almost anti-flexible, if that's possible. The few times I've tried yoga, my body shouted out with pain as I tried to hold one pose after another. This from a guy who regularly tortures himself with endurance running and considers himself a bit of a fitness nut. So I knew this would not be easy, and it wasn't.
Still, I soldiered on day after day, using a handy website to walk me through the various poses for beginners. I began by learning that yoga is not stretching. That was an insight all on its own. I tried to focus on the weird stuff I'd heard yoga instructors talk about, like mindfulness...and being in the moment. That elevates yoga from a series of bendy contortions into something people have described as being spiritual. Just the thing for a non-flexible agnostic like me!
Yeah, I get that whole eastern swami zen thing, but it gets a bit much if you ask me. I don't think I'm any closer to nirvana after a week spent on a yoga mat becoming a proud warrior or downward facing dog.
So, how about the scores of other good stuff? Believe it or not, one source has listed 38 health benefits of yoga. I won't go into each one, but let's park the wacky proclamations like it "uses sound to soothe your sinuses" and look at the claim that yoga "makes you happier." I think they might have something there.
Maybe it helped that Val and I were travelling to Quebec's Eastern Townships this week. Maybe it also helped that we spent our days cycling past richly hued autumn colours and through quaint villages. Maybe there's also something to be said about the many bottles of wine we chugged back with our friends every night. But finishing it off with some yoga in our bedroom as Val lounged luxuriously in the tub? Yeah, you bet I was happy!
I think I'm going to stick with this yoga thing, and keep it personal in my own space. I don't need to get into a steamy studio with 20 other people where I'll feel like some lechy old dude leering from the back row, and I don't really crave the meditative part of it because I'm doing that already.
Nope, I'm just gonna roll out the trusty ol' mat, dial in some Enya, and get twisty all by my lonesome.
Next week: Going plastic-free!
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