When I was in my 30’s and 40’s, a common theme of mine, would be “I’m going to do that”, or “come first of the year I will go to the gym everyday” things that I would repeat to others or myself. Very often, that time never came, and I would be at ground zero again. With yoga a firm place in my life, I can no longer say things I’m going to do, and not do them. If I do mis-speak, I feel my throat tighten up in protest. Ethically and morally, it just feels better to do the things I promised. That means taking an honest good looking at myself, and not overextending and promising things I don’t have the time for. This is tough to do, as most of us, on some level want to be people pleasers.
People will actually respect and like you more if you honestly say, that is over extending my time, or talent, or resources now, I just can’t do that now. This means I give when I have some, and when I don’t, I don’t give to anyone.
When Covid disrupted our lives, it really broke our routines. We created routines for working out, and doing yoga, and in Covid days, the gyms were not deemed “safe places”, which I still think was a huge mis statement. How could gyms be dirtier than 100 people running about Krogers, or the mall? It just did not make sense.
When I was driving the other day, I saw a sign, “College Hill Yoga”. Since I was going to be in this neighborhood, I decided to look them up, and take a visit. When I pulled up the website, a big black banner across said, “We are sad to say, we are closing our doors in August.” Their landlord was raising rent again, and levels in yoga studios are still not back up to where they were before Covid. This yogi has been in business for quite some time, and this was just the last nail in the coffin. I stopped by for practice, which was amazing BTW, and we talked afterwards. I offered him a position at Anahata, and we’ll see, he might come up and teach here. But one thing he mentioned stuck with me. He said after he sent the email saying they were closing, a bunch of former clients said, “oh gee, so sorry to hear this, I’ve been meaning to get back to it, I just haven’t got around to doing it yet”.
Well sorry, it’s a little too late for that, and College Hill Yoga now! I really felt for them, and his clients; the clients who are practicing now, are going to lose their place to practice, and the clients who said they would be back and haven’t, are also going to suffer from DIS ease. (spoken like my teacher).
From a chiropractor:
“Disease is actually the end result of Dis-ease. This is not hair splitting or simple semantics. There is a clear distinction and all true health care is in recognition of this distinction. Dis-ease is a situation of un-ease; it is a body which is not at ease, which means that it is not within proper function. A body in dis-ease is on the road to disease. It does not matter whether symptoms of disease or any manifestation of disease exist at the present moment or not. If a body is not at ease, if it is not within proper function, it is in a state of disharmony – dis-ease. The state of dis-ease does not have any symptoms. You cannot feel disharmony when it first occurs. Only in a state of disharmony can disease manifest. Only in a state of dis-ease, disharmony, or malfunction can disease exist. Even in the case of microbial diseases, what are known as bacterial or viral infections, the “disease” can only exist in a body which is already in a state of dis-ease or internal disharmony. Only when internal disharmony exists first, can a disease manifest within that individual body.”
Yoga practice establishes the harmony back into the body, mind and spirit. Meditating, moving with yoga asana, chanting, all are practices that bring us back to EASE and harmony in the body. Doing yoga and following the code of ethics of yoga are a big reason to keep yoga in your daily routine.
Before practicing yoga every day, I felt ok, that is, I didn’t know any different. Now after years of practicing yoga every day, I will never go back to that old person, for I never realized how much Yoga ADDS to my life. It adds JOY, EASE, HARMONY!
Are you reading this and wanting to get back, yet something you feel is blocking you? Please contact me, we can work something out! I want everyone to feel as good as I feel everyday!!
Namaste,
Paula
