Yesterday was such a Monday. I mean, really, it was a MONDAY. From the instant I got out of bed until I got home at 5:30, my day was full of stress producing interactions. I can’t really detail them here, but I had to defend an individual’s right to have, and state, a position with which I strongly disagree. It caused a need for multiple unpleasant meetings, and in between that there were a lot of other fires to put out. By the time I drove home (with my brain still spinning and my phone beeping every 2-3 minutes as yet another complex email arrived), every part of my body was in a knot.
I got back to the house and rushed into the dinner prep process (roasted beets, potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, cilantro, and peppers – mmm), which is always an event in itself, pausing to slice a thumb along the way and spill a variety of things around the room. I managed to get things wrapped up just in time to serve the food before I dashed out the door for a 7:30 Vinyasa class.
Oh, I needed that class. As soon as I got to the studio, I could feel a little lightness come into my body as I made the mental switch from work/home to yoga. I could feel my back yearning for the stretch that I knew was coming and I looked so forward to the challenge that I knew would keep my mind away from the events of the day. Beth, the instructor (Yogawood in Collingswood, NJ), did not disappoint.
From the very first pose, through the Surya Namaskar A, to the shoulder stand and plow pose, and even including the zaniness of Bhujapidasana, it all felt good, even when I was sweating like a pig and things were a little ouchy. Getting the curve out of my upper back is always a challenge and I’m never sure how well I succeed, but I certainly was trying last night, because my back just needed the stretch (short of yoga, I think I would have needed a Medieval rack).
By the end of class, I felt relaxed and calmed, both mentally and physically. I was able to go home, have some food, answer a couple more of the crazy emails I had received during class, and go to sleep without the events of the day whirling madly through my mind.
Even if this was the only benefit of yoga, it would still be worth it! Luckily, there are many many more. What are some of yours?
Namaste,
L