Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Doing yoga when we can't

It’s been a busy few weeks and I haven’t been able to do much of a morning yoga practice lately, so I’ve been trying to practice while running between the hospital/lab/office/airport.

This has included:
  • Breathing slowly and holding my breath between each inhale and exhale (a perfect exercise while sitting in meetings or on a plane)
  • Engaging uddiyana and mula bandha all the time
  • Chewing slowly and mindfully (trying for 25-50 chews per mouthful - this is surprisingly hard!)
  • Eating healthy snacks and meals at regular times
  • Doing backbends when feeling sleepy or lethargic (easy to do against any wall or door)
  • Observing my mental chatter and noticing when they jump to the future or past
  • Smiling (especially when I don’t feel like it)
  • Maintaining equanimity (or at least attempting to)

The Bhagavad Gita says:
"Self-possessed, resolute, act
without any thought of results,
open to success or failure.
This equanimity is yoga."

This equanimity is yoga. I like that.

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