In yoga you are supposed to clear your mind. Good yogis, they tell me, do not spend the entire class reviewing their to-do list, berating themselves for the errand they forgot to run yesterday, and adding items critical for tomorrow. No indeed, good yoga students, wherever they may be, rid themselves of such thoughts.
Clearing my mind has been a big challenge for me. Maybe my mind suspects that if it agrees to step out for a vacation, I won’t let it back in. Who knows? It could be right. Different yoga teachers have advised to briefly acknowledge the thought and just let it pass by. The problem is I have too many of these thoughts. It’s like the receiving line at a 500 person wedding. I’ve just finished acknowledging one and letting it move on when another rushes up to say hello.
Since I haven’t made much mind-clearing progress during my two months of yoga, I’ve decided to seek new approaches outside of the yoga studio. Thus, I’ll be taking a series of meditation classes starting in October. I’m really excited to try something new! Wish me luck!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Surprise! An Entry Not about Yoga
…Well at least not directly about yoga. This Saturday morning something happened that shocked and upset me. I did yoga for about an hour that afternoon outside on my patio, but it felt like my heart wasn’t in it. My mind was wandering back to the events of the morning. It wasn’t until well into my Saturday evening plans that I found a way to let it all go.
That night, a group of my friends and I attended a concert by San Francisco’s Golden Gate Men’s Chorus. The concert explored the theme of love through songs by different composers and also through poems and stories written by the members of the chorus. Though the music was so beautiful, at the beginning of the concert I could not get myself into it. I was still thinking about the events of the morning, and I felt like my mind was elsewhere. But then I decided to focus on breathing deeply, like you do in yoga, while listening to the music. I just kept slowly filling my whole chest with air, and then equally slowly exhaling. Somehow I let it all of the worries and painful thoughts go. It’s amazing what a few hours of beautiful music and some slow, consistent breathing can do for one’s outlook on life!
So anyway...even if you aren't into yoga, the next time you have something on your mind that you need a break from, just try breathing!
That night, a group of my friends and I attended a concert by San Francisco’s Golden Gate Men’s Chorus. The concert explored the theme of love through songs by different composers and also through poems and stories written by the members of the chorus. Though the music was so beautiful, at the beginning of the concert I could not get myself into it. I was still thinking about the events of the morning, and I felt like my mind was elsewhere. But then I decided to focus on breathing deeply, like you do in yoga, while listening to the music. I just kept slowly filling my whole chest with air, and then equally slowly exhaling. Somehow I let it all of the worries and painful thoughts go. It’s amazing what a few hours of beautiful music and some slow, consistent breathing can do for one’s outlook on life!
So anyway...even if you aren't into yoga, the next time you have something on your mind that you need a break from, just try breathing!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
High School Math Class Syndrome
From what I recall of high school, few students longed for seats in the front of the room. In those “hot” seats, your teacher might notice that rather than hanging on his every word, you spent class doodling, passing notes, daydreaming, or finishing up your homework. On the first day of class, my classmates rushed to claim seats in the back of the room, hoping these would be their designated seats rather than some less desirable location assigned at the teacher’s discretion. This was particularly noticeable in some of the less glamorous classes, like physics and math.
Entry into yoga studio at the beginning of class reminds me of this frantic grab for those coveted back row seats. Students rush to lay their mat at the back of the studio or on the sides. I even see people who are so set in their yoga ways that they scramble for relatively the same location during every class. I’ve seen several students rush in practically knocking over the departing students from the previous classes as if their ability to do yoga for the evening was at stake. I’ve dubbed this yoga land grab, “high school math class syndrome.”
Sadly, I noticed that I too have found a routine spot at my most frequented studio. My favorite place is in the back and to the left of the center, but I have no idea why I developed this habit. So this week I decided to buck the high school math class trend. Tuesday, I plopped my mat down on the right side and found the change of yoga scenery to be anti-climatic but good. Next week, I plan to get even more daring and do my yoga in the front of the studio. I really think an important part of yoga is about embracing changes. One day I may even show up a little late (gasp!) just to see what it is like to practice in the last space remaining after all other students have claimed a spot.
Stay tuned for next time…
Entry into yoga studio at the beginning of class reminds me of this frantic grab for those coveted back row seats. Students rush to lay their mat at the back of the studio or on the sides. I even see people who are so set in their yoga ways that they scramble for relatively the same location during every class. I’ve seen several students rush in practically knocking over the departing students from the previous classes as if their ability to do yoga for the evening was at stake. I’ve dubbed this yoga land grab, “high school math class syndrome.”
Sadly, I noticed that I too have found a routine spot at my most frequented studio. My favorite place is in the back and to the left of the center, but I have no idea why I developed this habit. So this week I decided to buck the high school math class trend. Tuesday, I plopped my mat down on the right side and found the change of yoga scenery to be anti-climatic but good. Next week, I plan to get even more daring and do my yoga in the front of the studio. I really think an important part of yoga is about embracing changes. One day I may even show up a little late (gasp!) just to see what it is like to practice in the last space remaining after all other students have claimed a spot.
Stay tuned for next time…
Monday, August 24, 2009
Little Victories!
Today I did an arm balance where I supported my entire body by squatting down and resting my knees on my arms/elbows and leaning forward. I was only able to stay up for a few seconds before collapsing face first into the floor (scaring my yoga class neighbors), but it's great to feel like I am getting stronger. I also did wagon wheel, which is a back bend where you hold your body up as if you were creating one half of a circle, for a few seconds...another new pose for me. It's so rewarding to feel that I am getting stronger!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Vegas Baby!
As you might imagine, my first few weeks of yoga have not been without challenges. Here's a recap....
VEGAS BABY! I managed to “teach” my first yoga class because my friends were intrigued and interested to participate during my in-suite yoga. So at least one thing happened in Vegas that doesn't have to stay there.
BOREDOM- One day it struck me that I was sick of yoga. So soon, I know! As a result, I had this frenetic yoga session where I did everything fast, like I was fast-forwarding through a movie. It was very odd. I think combating boredom is something formal classes can help with, because the yoga instructors introduce poses that are new to me.
PAIN- Early last week I realized that I hurt….badly. All the days of intense yoga overwhelmed my body. Muscles hurt that I never even knew I had. It was time for some restorative yoga to let my body rest.
ENVY- Boy they sell some cute yoga wear and gear, but WOW it is not cheap! Definitely not student budget friendly! So it turns out I may not have the most fashionable year of yoga, but I guess that’s not what it’s about :o) Plus I must be the least flexible person to ever set foot in a yoga studio. It's hard not to peek around the room at all the other students. There are women in their 60s who can bend further than me at this point! But again, not what this is about...
BLOGGING- It seems I am better at actually doing the yoga than finding time to write about it.
VEGAS BABY! I managed to “teach” my first yoga class because my friends were intrigued and interested to participate during my in-suite yoga. So at least one thing happened in Vegas that doesn't have to stay there.
BOREDOM- One day it struck me that I was sick of yoga. So soon, I know! As a result, I had this frenetic yoga session where I did everything fast, like I was fast-forwarding through a movie. It was very odd. I think combating boredom is something formal classes can help with, because the yoga instructors introduce poses that are new to me.
PAIN- Early last week I realized that I hurt….badly. All the days of intense yoga overwhelmed my body. Muscles hurt that I never even knew I had. It was time for some restorative yoga to let my body rest.
ENVY- Boy they sell some cute yoga wear and gear, but WOW it is not cheap! Definitely not student budget friendly! So it turns out I may not have the most fashionable year of yoga, but I guess that’s not what it’s about :o) Plus I must be the least flexible person to ever set foot in a yoga studio. It's hard not to peek around the room at all the other students. There are women in their 60s who can bend further than me at this point! But again, not what this is about...
BLOGGING- It seems I am better at actually doing the yoga than finding time to write about it.
Monday, July 27, 2009
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Ever since I was in high school, I’ve had a habit of telling myself things like, “Well, my life is busy now, but in 3 or 4 months everything will calm down and be normal again. 3 or 4 months later, I would find myself just as busy as ever, and once again I would tell myself “all I need is 3 months more…” and the cycle would start all over again. These has been going on for years, and let’s face it, my life has yet to “calm down.”
This summer one of the executives at the company where I am working gave us interns a great pearl of wisdom for our careers. He told us that we should accept that, “the only thing constant is change.” Quite Zen for a corporate executive! I’ve come to realize that my life will probably never be less busy. I need to embrace the constant changes and challenges because they are the “normal” state of my life. If I can’t find “calm” or “normal” in the midst of change, I will never find it.
Now several days into my year of daily yoga, I‘ve embraced change and flexibility in my practice from day to day. I once viewed yoga as an energizing morning activity, a way to start my day. During the last few days I faced what I thought would be my first yoga challenge, fitting yoga into some very busy days filled with early morning meetings, long work hours, and after-work commitments. I ended up getting home later than I expected both nights and starting my practice after midnight. Needless to say, I had low expectations of my ability to practice so late and when I was so exhausted. But I got on my mat and started some cool poses, like gentle twists, child's pose, and cat cows. Then, lying on the floor, I moved my arms up and over my body with long, slow, deep breaths.
To my surprise my late night practice was so much more fulfilling than I had expected. Because I was sleepy, focusing on my breath felt totally different. I felt calm, healed, and rejuvenated in a new way. I could feel breath and oxygen find its way to the deepest parts of my body. Then, when I finally, climbed into bed, I could tell that I was breathing deeper. I felt completely prepared for a night of peaceful, restorative sleep.
Late night yoga showed me that I need to drop my expectations of how yoga should be. By accepting changes and variability like I did on those busy days, I open the possibility of new experiences in my yoga practice. And because I can make space for yoga regardless of what each day brings, I know that it can be a constant in a life that will invariably bring some new surprise or challenge each day.
This summer one of the executives at the company where I am working gave us interns a great pearl of wisdom for our careers. He told us that we should accept that, “the only thing constant is change.” Quite Zen for a corporate executive! I’ve come to realize that my life will probably never be less busy. I need to embrace the constant changes and challenges because they are the “normal” state of my life. If I can’t find “calm” or “normal” in the midst of change, I will never find it.
Now several days into my year of daily yoga, I‘ve embraced change and flexibility in my practice from day to day. I once viewed yoga as an energizing morning activity, a way to start my day. During the last few days I faced what I thought would be my first yoga challenge, fitting yoga into some very busy days filled with early morning meetings, long work hours, and after-work commitments. I ended up getting home later than I expected both nights and starting my practice after midnight. Needless to say, I had low expectations of my ability to practice so late and when I was so exhausted. But I got on my mat and started some cool poses, like gentle twists, child's pose, and cat cows. Then, lying on the floor, I moved my arms up and over my body with long, slow, deep breaths.
To my surprise my late night practice was so much more fulfilling than I had expected. Because I was sleepy, focusing on my breath felt totally different. I felt calm, healed, and rejuvenated in a new way. I could feel breath and oxygen find its way to the deepest parts of my body. Then, when I finally, climbed into bed, I could tell that I was breathing deeper. I felt completely prepared for a night of peaceful, restorative sleep.
Late night yoga showed me that I need to drop my expectations of how yoga should be. By accepting changes and variability like I did on those busy days, I open the possibility of new experiences in my yoga practice. And because I can make space for yoga regardless of what each day brings, I know that it can be a constant in a life that will invariably bring some new surprise or challenge each day.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Starting a Year of Yoga
This blog begins a journey of one year of yoga. For the next 365 days, I intend to practice yoga every day. I’ll practice it inside or outside, at yoga studios or at home, and even at airports if needed.
Why, you ask? I have been inspired to do so by a strange mix of yoga teachers, an MBA marketing professor, and several CEOs I’ve heard speak. From them, I’ve seen that I need to pick something to inspire me outside of the school experience, but that will align with my overall focus on learning and growth. And really, I also just want to see what happens if I do this, with no expectations of what will come next…
First: Focus
Kimber Simpkins, a yoga teacher whose classes I have just begun taking, said something in class recently that inspired me. She encouraged us to be fully present during the activities we pursue in our lives, and give 100% of our focus while doing them. I realized that I’m not always present. My mind frequently wanders, and I undertake so many activities that it’s hard to make any one of them a focus. Kimber's anecdotes reminded me of advice often echoed by CEOs and leaders. Many of them have advised us students that, “You can do many things in your life, but not all at the same time.” These past few months I’ve been contemplating running a marathon, training for another triathlon, and starting a pro-bono project, while seeking my soul mate, interning in a new industry and function, trying to have the fun I missed out on all year, moving, and preparing for a new school year. I’ve been focusing on so much, but I haven’t really been doing any of it 100%. And because I have so much going on, I don’t really enjoy the things I’m doing as much as I could. And it only gets more complicated when I return to school! Kimber made me realize that I should streamline my life to a few things I’m really passionate about, yoga being one of them.
Second: Seeing the Big Picture
Being in grad school is in many ways a gift. I’ve given myself the opportunity to learn new subjects, explore varied career options, meet new people, and visit countries all over the world. I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process. But, self discovery is more than just career discovery. It means exploring and challenging my physical and emotional sides. My marketing professor, Rashi Glazer, lavished praise on companies that defined their missions broadly, lending flexibility to their strategies. For example, FedEx, initially founded as a package courier, realized during the 1970s that it was actually in the business of delivering information. Consequently, it achieved success by creating small packages for time sensitive documents. Professor Glazer also constantly bemoaned the myopic vision of companies like Kodak, which used the marketing slogan “We don’t sell film. We sell memories” without really believing memories to be its strategy. As a result, too focused on film, Kodak missed many early opportunities to deliver memories in the digital age. By making my second year of grad school a year of yoga as well, perhaps I can broaden my perspective and see a bigger picture where learning includes many aspects of my life. Since yoga and grad school are both experiences of learning & discovery, I hope I can pursue both while staying fully present in each.
Third (And Most Importantly, I think): Remembering to Laugh
It can be easy to take grad school too seriously. The pursuit of the perfect career, the desire to learn everything taught in class, and the quest to attend every interesting speaker can easily consume you. I thought I would come to grad school to find my passion and learn what I want to do with my life, but that’s a tough thing to do. I definitely lost myself in the intensity of the experience last year. When her class is holding the toughest poses, Melanie Salvatore August, my wonderful yoga teacher, always reminds us to smile. I need that reminder. Smile through all the little challenges life throws at you, because we should be enjoying this. Grad school should be fun, and my whole life doesn’t depend on this next year. I don’t have to figure out “what I want to be when I grow up” or find the perfect job. I have many years for my life and career to keep evolving. So there is no need to take everything so seriously! Instead I should have some fun and remember to smile! Daily yoga will serve as a great reminder.
Setting my Intention…
This year, I hope that my grad school experience can become more about the journey than the initial outcomes. Similarly, though I plan to do yoga each day for one year, I won’t be doing so to achieve one of the many challenging poses I can’t now do or tout some achievement. Rather, I undertake this experiment to see where it takes me and what it teaches me, whatever that may be.
Namaste!
-- Lauren
Why, you ask? I have been inspired to do so by a strange mix of yoga teachers, an MBA marketing professor, and several CEOs I’ve heard speak. From them, I’ve seen that I need to pick something to inspire me outside of the school experience, but that will align with my overall focus on learning and growth. And really, I also just want to see what happens if I do this, with no expectations of what will come next…
First: Focus
Kimber Simpkins, a yoga teacher whose classes I have just begun taking, said something in class recently that inspired me. She encouraged us to be fully present during the activities we pursue in our lives, and give 100% of our focus while doing them. I realized that I’m not always present. My mind frequently wanders, and I undertake so many activities that it’s hard to make any one of them a focus. Kimber's anecdotes reminded me of advice often echoed by CEOs and leaders. Many of them have advised us students that, “You can do many things in your life, but not all at the same time.” These past few months I’ve been contemplating running a marathon, training for another triathlon, and starting a pro-bono project, while seeking my soul mate, interning in a new industry and function, trying to have the fun I missed out on all year, moving, and preparing for a new school year. I’ve been focusing on so much, but I haven’t really been doing any of it 100%. And because I have so much going on, I don’t really enjoy the things I’m doing as much as I could. And it only gets more complicated when I return to school! Kimber made me realize that I should streamline my life to a few things I’m really passionate about, yoga being one of them.
Second: Seeing the Big Picture
Being in grad school is in many ways a gift. I’ve given myself the opportunity to learn new subjects, explore varied career options, meet new people, and visit countries all over the world. I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process. But, self discovery is more than just career discovery. It means exploring and challenging my physical and emotional sides. My marketing professor, Rashi Glazer, lavished praise on companies that defined their missions broadly, lending flexibility to their strategies. For example, FedEx, initially founded as a package courier, realized during the 1970s that it was actually in the business of delivering information. Consequently, it achieved success by creating small packages for time sensitive documents. Professor Glazer also constantly bemoaned the myopic vision of companies like Kodak, which used the marketing slogan “We don’t sell film. We sell memories” without really believing memories to be its strategy. As a result, too focused on film, Kodak missed many early opportunities to deliver memories in the digital age. By making my second year of grad school a year of yoga as well, perhaps I can broaden my perspective and see a bigger picture where learning includes many aspects of my life. Since yoga and grad school are both experiences of learning & discovery, I hope I can pursue both while staying fully present in each.
Third (And Most Importantly, I think): Remembering to Laugh
It can be easy to take grad school too seriously. The pursuit of the perfect career, the desire to learn everything taught in class, and the quest to attend every interesting speaker can easily consume you. I thought I would come to grad school to find my passion and learn what I want to do with my life, but that’s a tough thing to do. I definitely lost myself in the intensity of the experience last year. When her class is holding the toughest poses, Melanie Salvatore August, my wonderful yoga teacher, always reminds us to smile. I need that reminder. Smile through all the little challenges life throws at you, because we should be enjoying this. Grad school should be fun, and my whole life doesn’t depend on this next year. I don’t have to figure out “what I want to be when I grow up” or find the perfect job. I have many years for my life and career to keep evolving. So there is no need to take everything so seriously! Instead I should have some fun and remember to smile! Daily yoga will serve as a great reminder.
Setting my Intention…
This year, I hope that my grad school experience can become more about the journey than the initial outcomes. Similarly, though I plan to do yoga each day for one year, I won’t be doing so to achieve one of the many challenging poses I can’t now do or tout some achievement. Rather, I undertake this experiment to see where it takes me and what it teaches me, whatever that may be.
Namaste!
-- Lauren
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
