As you all know, I love yoga. It’s not about the exercise for me. I get that in other ways.
Yoga allows me to focus on my imperfections in a healthy way. And it allows me to honor those imperfections. For me this last year, I focused on my perfectly imperfect hips. Yoga allows me, with every breath, to breath out worry, anxiety, stress. I focus on the moment.
My last yoga class on Thursday night, I literally walked in feeling the salt of a few tears, but walked out with salty sweat having washed away those tears. Why did I have tears? Well, first of all, I was exhausted. The start of the school year is always worrisome and hectic. But this was the first year that I did not have any child going back to school! But mostly because I was exhausted. When you are tired, your “affective filter” is higher. What does that mean, Hopeful Hippy? Basically, what normally would not bother you, bothers you when you are tired or sick or both!
But yoga for me, lowered my affective filter. It created a relaxation response for me that allowed me to see the humanity of human suffering as my tears were not the only one shed! Another student of yoga had a very emotional response to something in the class or the internal thoughts of the mind – so much so that is was quite shocking to me. My favorite yoga teacher handled it beautifully as she knelt by a young 20-something year old and encouraged and reassured. She used her best mom voice. I left encouraged by my own ability to refocus my thoughts towards hope and success, but also because of the kindness that was shown to this young yogi.
So be kind to yourselves, your hips and each other. Namaste!
“Don’t move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move. Move the way joy makes you move.” — Osho
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