The hardest part of yoga, is getting on your mat. Almost every teacher I have come into contact with, as well as practitioner say that, myself included. It isn’t the level two three classes or the heated hundred degree room. It isn’t even remembering to breathe (though that is a close second) it is getting there.
You might think really? That’s it. But it is true. It is so easy to say, no not today. Maybe tomorrow. Oh nope the weather is crappy. Not going to happen. But when you do that one day, can turn into two, and then a week, then you are going crazy because you haven’t practiced in ages.
Okay maybe I am the one going crazy.
Last year I made a lot of excuses. In my defense and to cut myself some slack, I was battling Lyme Disease and I had no idea.
Yoga is about going internally. And with being sick and essentially hating life, I did not want to go internally. In fact I just wanted to make a permanent date with my bed and the BBC. Thanks to my sick stint, I now have a deep love for all things British, and Benedict Cumberbatch, apparently Lyme has some benefits, who knew?
The few times I did decide to drag myself out of bed and away from the tube, I was incredibly grateful, and it not only made me feel, but gave me, some semblance of sanity.
When you get into a rut, or sick it is hard to drag yourself out of it. Even if you want to, it is easier to stay where you are. When I began feeling better in October I made the conscious effort to get on my mat and go for runs (another form of sanity and meditation) it was hard. After a year of staring adoringly into Benedict’s piercing eyes, why would I want to leave that?
But leave it I had too, to become a much saner self. After a year of being disconnected from my body, it was difficult to find that connection again. It also made me realize why we fight so hard to get on the mat, because we are fighting with ourselves. Once we are there it is wonderful and exhilarating. It is the being able to connect, that makes it so difficult.
So we procrastinate and make excuses and shy away from the hard work. But like with life, we can’t. There will be moments that get difficult, and if we can stay connected in those moments, learn to breathe through, they will be easier to handle.
As the Nike (the company not the Greek God) slogan says “Just do it.”
So get on your mat. Go for that run. Get moving and not only will you get deeper, you will get more connected with yourself and life in general!
What are ways you connect through exercise? Ways that motivate you to get up and moving? Let me know! Happy exercising!
