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.