The Art of Being Still. Or Not.
What is it about being still and in a state of rest that is so challenging? After a really tough run, all we want to do is stop, right? Why, then, is closing my eyes and laying on the ground without moving so dang tough?
As part of my weekly training, I like to attend a restorative or yin yoga class twice per week when possible. I find that it helps me relieve and work through muscle tension while aiding in injury prevention. I typically feel refreshed and renewed when I walk out of a 75-minute class, and going to yoga forces me to hold long, deep stretches for extended periods of time that I simply am not disciplined enough to do in the comfort of my own home. But here’s the kicker – shutting off my crazy mind.
During some classes, I can truly zone out into this other mind space where things go black. Most of the time, however, I’m creating to-do lists, writing emails and thinking about all the things that happened during the day I need to address the minute I walk off the mat. Thinking, planning, busy little mind. Enough brain!
This evening, I attended a restorative yoga class after work. I thought it would be a nice complement to the 5.2-mile speed session I did before the sun rose earlier this morning. I’ve been working hard the past few weeks, and between strength training, cross training and running, my body was yearning for the restorative break.
My mind wanted nothing to do with it.
Instead of focusing on my breath and channeling how my body felt, this is what was running through my mind while in savasana (and a whole host of other poses) …
- I could totally have made dinner by now if I hadn’t come to class tonight.
- I wonder how often they wash the blankets and bolsters.
- Hmmm … do they ever wash the blankets and bolsters?
- I think I can pick up my mom’s birthday present on Thursday morning.
- My lips are so chapped. I need to wear my moisturizing lip serum to bed tonight.
- I wonder if Mr. rUnladylike and I can watch the last two episodes of Vinyl we missed tonight.
- How long will it take me to make dinner? I need to order a meal service.
- I wonder if the instructor will put essential oil on our hand like my favorite studio. Mmmm grapefruit oil.
- I need to talk to my dad to see if he wants to run with me Thursday night and with our group this weekend.
- My head is on this bolster that has probably never been cleaned. Ugh.
- Oh, thank goodness. Time to wiggle our fingers and toes. I’m out of here. Back to my to-do list.
Do you make yoga a regular part of your weekly training? Where does your mind tend to go on the mat?
Comments
Hahahaha are you in my head?! I’m so with you. Getting my mind to shut off during yoga is not an easy feat…..
That is me, completely and totally. I can never seem to shut off my mind, except when running, swimming or biking so… and even then sometimes I don’t!!
And those bolsters and mats – totally unwashed. LOL!
Man. Now all I’m gonna think about is the unwashed bolsters and blankets.
Bahahahaa Christina. It has been on my mind at every class lately, and yesterday it was all I could think about because we did a lot of laying on the bolsters with our face. The other day I put my long-sleeve shirt down on it before I put my face on it. LOL!
I do have one of those yoga hand towels because my hands get too sweaty. I’ll use that to cover the germs and grossness.
I have told myself for a year I am going to try yoga. I still have not done it. I need too. I think it would be helpful.
I agree completely, I can’t turn it off. Ever.
Hi Staci! I think you will notice a difference in how you feel by adding a little yoga to your training, especially when you are running a lot. Look for classes that say gentle, restorative or yin. These are classes that focus on relaxation and deep stretching. Everything moves slow and gently. You will not get a “hard” workout, but you will do your body and your fascia some good 🙂 I’ve always found especially that if my IT bands are ever angry with me, regular restorative/yin yoga nips them in the bud almost immediately. Keep me posted if you take a class. There are also plenty of DVDs and online workouts you can do at home with just a mat.
Yup, this is me. I love yoga, but I really struggle to turn off my mind! Some days I am able to do it, other days I’m terrible with it. And if I try to do it at home, my husband has found me doing legs up the wall while making a to-do list on my phone. Yoga at home obviously doesn’t work for me! And, I also wonder how often the equipment gets cleaned!
Can.NOT.go.to.yoga!!! I do really like the awesome stretch but cannot shut my mind off. Have even attempted to go at 5am (my normal running time) but just can’t handle the quietness!
This is why yoga has never worked for me! I can shut my mind off fairly well during running or Pilates, but laying on a mat is almost like giving my mind permission to wander without limits. And I’ve totally wondered the same thing about the mats.
I actually made myself start going to Yin because it puts me out of my comfort zone. Reminds me of how I started yoga in the first place…a wonderful therapist saw my high-strung, type-A, recovering anorexic self and asked “when do you breathe?”
haha so totally normal! But that’s part of the practice, right? Noticing those thoughts that come up, not necessarily totally shutting off our minds all the time. But I think that’s part of why yoga is so helpful because we’ve gotten so good at distracting ourselves from the quiet moments, the boring moments, the uncomfortable ones and we need to figure out how to be OK with those moments without wanting to shut off our minds all the time.
YES!!! You are my personal yoga hero! I need some more Christine over here! I will keep at it. It is really magical the days you can go blank and just be so in the moment. They don’t come all that often for me, but when they do they are so powerful. xo
HA! I ALWAYS think about if/when they wash the blankets and the bolsters. And that makes me think about how I always slack off on wiping down my mat after class. And how the bacteria from my feet is now next to my face…