In my commitment and absolute necessity to make significant changes in my life this year, I've opened my mind to experiencing for the first time things that I've thought I should probably try, but always had an excuse not to actually do.
"I have too much ADHD to focus that much" or "I can't concentrate long enough" for yoga, I would say. In reality, I think I've probably feared, whether consciously or not, that maybe I might benefit from it. Sort of like making the initiative to become part of a church. Too many people get something out of it for there not to be some value. But, I must know better and I don't want to get sucked in.
Yoga seems to be almost a religious following in Southern CA. I don't have statistics, but I'd be curious on the numbers of people who do yoga every week versus attend a religious ceremony or even pray. There seem to be many forms of yoga, just as there are many forms of Christianity, Judaism and other religions. It seems some are more regimented than others, again a parallel comparison.
We went to Cancun in December. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort. Among the offerings were free yoga classes. I left here determined to go. It never happened. My schedule certainly could have accommodated it, but I found excuses not to do so. My husband, Mac, showed no interest.
Mac, on his own journey this year, has tried yoga since January 1. We haven't had significant conversations about it, but he seems to like it and open to doing more. I finally threw myself on the mat when it was a pre-requisite for a program which I was seeking to enter.
One of the first things I learned in the class was about breathing. Clearing your mind (this was already sounding ridiculous, but I opened myself to it and pulled it off) and breathing in and out through your nose. Concentrating on your breath. Simple enough. I was astonished at how relaxed I became and how much tension honestly did release from my body. I've since learned to do this almost daily when I wake up too early in the morning and I want to fall back asleep. A simple breathing exercise has increased made me calmer and more rested. I also practice at least a form of this when tension rises and I need to calm down. "Take a deep breath" has become more powerful than I could have ever imagined.
Both Mac and I have issues with our backs. Mac has even had surgery. So, all the various stretching can only be beneficial, right? I've found more so than I could even imagine. Some of it is fairly simple and you wonder why you never thought of it before. Others are more challenging, but that keeps it interesting, to me, as well. The only thing I realize now is my body is expecting it. Try and take a couple of days without at least some stretching effort and I am in misery.
For now, I've only experienced simple, Hatha yoga. Like everything I am doing in this year of change, I am walking to success rather than running to failure.
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