A Great Misunderstanding

As family gathered for our holiday meal, I told one guest the story of how I took the winter off from running last year during the coldest, snowiest months, and just did yoga.

The relative asked:
"Was it hard to get back in shape?"
"No, It was fine, I was doing yoga 5 times a week"
"Well, what about the aerobic part?"
"Seriously, I was doing yoga 5 times a week, it's not like I got out of shape."
"How would that help?" she asked.


This is not the first conversation I've had like this.  I mean, I was surprised how much the breath work we do in yoga translated to spring running, but I knew that first run of the spring would be nowhere near as painful as when I was coming back from pregnancy, or that year I spent on the couch during grad school.  Research has shown that the first 15 minutes of an Ashtanga class bring the heart rate up to what is needed for aerobic exercise.  And though I feel calm and still in "wheel", I definitely notice a change in my breathing when I emerge.

I used yoga as a metaphor for volunteer burn-out at a committee meeting recently.  I explained how sometimes I overdo it, ending up with tired sore muscles or even an injury, and need to pull back "At yoga?" they asked in shocked voices. 

Somehow a great majority of folks seem to think that all yoga is Gentle Yoga or Yin Yoga. In fact Hatha yoga is about the balance between strong and passive energies.  Cyndi Lee explains it much like my yoga teacher back at Willow Glen used to: "Hatha is also translated as ha meaning "sun" and tha meaning "moon." This refers to the balance of masculine aspects—active, hot, sun—and feminine aspects—receptive, cool, moon—within all of us. Hatha yoga is a path toward creating balance and uniting opposites. In our physical bodies we develop a balance of strength and flexibility. We also learn to balance our effort and surrender in each pose."

I don't know how we overcome this widespread perception of hatha yoga is a yin-only practice.  But anyone who's practiced on Saturday morning at Sunrise Yoga knows there is plenty of warm sun in that practice to get anyone through the coldest winter.

twisting deeper

As I was walking to yoga I noticed that winter's cold had dropped to a new place.  It's colder than it's been, but certaily not as cold as it will be.  It reminded me of going into a deep seated twist:
inhale- sit tall, lengthen the spine
exhale- move deeper into the twist

As we twist deeper and deeper into winter, the deepening motion inhales for almost rhythmic pauses.  The whole eco-system breathes into the new, colder reality.  We pause there for a moment, then exhaling, move deeper and deeper into winter.

Warm

As our teacher led us into Savasana last week, he suggested, as he always does "you may want to put on socks or a blanket or anything else you need to keep your muscles warm during Savasana"

As I heard the click of the portable heater turning on, I remembered a teacher I had studied with a few times in California. He had scorned such practices saying that the heat from ones practice should carry us through Savasana.

As I lay on my mat, toes warmed by socks, snuggled under my cotton yoga blanket I thought "I don't believe that fellow ever practiced in the North East"

[Image pilfered from this very adorable yoga blog]

Whatever comes

This summer my son and I spent a week at a retreat center that offered YOGA EVERY MORNING! The teacher was very clear that this was a gentle yoga class, not really geared toward more experienced practitioners. Undaunted I asked if she would mind if I took a few variations. She said it was fine as long as I set up in the back of the room so as not to confuse folks who were brand new.

The first day of class one practitioner walked out half way through. She later explained that she had a vigorous Vinyasa practice, and had gone to find a quiet room to do her own thing. She seemed a little angry that the class was not what she was used to. She had recently found Vinyasa and loved how it felt to have the strength and warmth that comes from a flowing practice. There was talk among some of us who prefer a vigorous yoga about forming a splinter group and finding our own place to practice.

Next morning I toted my mat back to the gentle class. I snuck in a few chaturangas and a headstand, but mostly I went with the flow. I remember so clearly a time in my practice when I too would have been filled with anger when a class was not vigorous enough. I was so happy to have found a form that helped me develop strength and really challenged my body; I felt like a Power Ranger. By the end of class I was exhausted but calm and centered. What changed? Time I think. I realized there is time for all kinds of yoga. After 10+ years of practice I really get that a week of yoga is just a blink of an eye in a lifetime of practice. I was willing to let go of sun salutations in exchange for a week with a new teacher, and for the camaraderie of a room full of yogis.

One morning the room started leaking and folks in the back row had to move their mats to accommodate buckets which caught rain dripping through the roof. We struggled together to hold our focus through storm-strength winds which slammed doors open and shut. We returned to our mats on days when the sun finally came out and its siren song tried to lure us away from asana out onto the deck.

Personal preferances aside, yoga anchored that week for me; no matter what the rest of any day might bring- it started with yoga.

Seasons

This spring, due to changes in my schedule, changes in my studio schedule, and the beauty of the season, I have started running again and am doing yoga only 3 times a week. Now, for many years this seemed to be an incredible luxury, and when I started practicing 3 times a week about 8 years ago, I couldn't believe how much faster I made progress than practicing only 1 time a week.

But for the past couple of winters I've been practicing 4-6 times a week. I was so worried about getting out of shape for running that I didn't realize what the impacts of going back to a 3-practice week might have. I remember last year sometime my teacher mentioned that if he went a day without practicing he felt stiff, and I thought that was crazy. Now I know it's true. When I go just 48 hours without practicing, I feel like each time I get back on the mat I am starting over. I have noticed for years that the morning after a hard workout I am sore, but 2 mornings later I am REALLY sore. I suppose there is a similar principle at work here; some hardening and settling in happens over 48 hours that is somehow interrupted when you practice every day(ish). I realized this morning, as my stiff muscles complained, that I had taken for granted the comfortable supple feeling of my yoga-only practice.

But summer is around the corner, and with it a more flexible schedule. And next winter is on the horizon as well. I can look forward to days too cold and icy to run, knowing the season brings with it the comfort of a daily yoga practice.