If only I had flippers, my feet would touch the ground!
I was reviewing the list of questions about what effects 360 straight days of yoga practice might have on me from my first blog post. I haven't learned to levitate yet. However, I do think my heels are descending a little closer to the floor in downward dog which means my hamstrings are a little less tight. Perhaps they will hit the floor by the end of December after all... Also, I've finally learned how to do one of those more challenging poses that I never really get enough time to work on in class, Bakasana. Per the superficial, my apartment has been, overall, cleaner and more organized to ensure I have clear space to practice in. I can't say that I'm slimmer or taller, but I can say that my thighs are super muscular these days from all that time in Warrior I and II, Utthitta Parsvakonasana, and Utkatasana. I also have some mean guns--don't mess with this yogini!
As for my mood, mental health, and my outlook of the world, I know that I almost always feel better about myself and the world around me after my yoga practice. This is not to say that a month plus of yoga has eliminated all traces of SAD, reactivity, self judgment, anger, impatience, anxiety, and general discontent from my being. It hasn't and it won't--I am human. But I think that I spend a little less time dwelling in those undesirable places. I do have a case of the mid-winter blahs, as I often do in January and February. But these feelings are more episodic than part of my constant state of mind: a low mood comes and I sit with it for a couple hours or a day before it passes on; another case of the blues might not strike for a couple of weeks. I do think the yoga helps alleviate these less happy moods.
It also seems to me that I have a lower tolerance for criticizing myself--I'm quicker to dispel harsh self-judgments. Likewise, I'm more aware of my criticism of others. Not that I never do it, but I notice when I'm judging others with more frequency and I question whether my judgments are fair or educated, or whether it benefits me or anyone else when I voice these criticisms. Is my critical feedback remotely constructive? What is my intention in voicing such criticism? My mind has not always taken the time to reflect on such questions.
The above are pretty positive results of my daily yoga practice. But I've noticed some other things that I need to be cautious of as I proceed. First, just because I practice everyday does not mean that my body is equally capable in terms of flexibility and strength and endurance from one day to the next. There are days when a certain pose feels so wonderful that my body is content to sink deeper and hold it for a long period of time. The next time I try that same pose, however, it may cause me extreme discomfort or my body may not able to bend as much to assume it. So I absolutely must pay attention to my body's needs and capabilities each time I'm on the mat because if I make assumptions about what my body can do without considering what it wants to do on any given day, I WILL hurt myself eventually.
Second, I need to continue to look out for that whole yoga-as-chore mindset. If this way of thinking becomes too prevalent from day to day, I will eventually fail to step on my mat one day. While I hope that, should I fail to practice yoga one day, I do not demean all my previous effort and practice by dismissing myself and this project as a failure, I really don't want to get to the place where I'm so down on yoga that it feels like a burden more days than not. I mean, I love yoga, and practicing it is so beneficial for me! So if maintaining a positive attitude about daily practice means doing more 30-minute practices than 60-minute practices, doing more Pranayama, and more slow, gentle practices--or even doing two 15-minute practices instead of one 30-minute practice, then I've got to be open to such. I guess this means is I have to be mindful about whether I'm practicing in a way that is headed towards burnout. No burnout!
A note to myself. Cribbed from Mudra Moments
Anyway, I'm burnt out on this blog post about now, so thanks for reading and,
Namaste
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