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.