There is nothing cozier and lovelier than going to yoga on a rainy day.
I let the weather intrude on my mood– this is probably the reason I wanted to go to school in Florida, Arizona or California where I could always psyche myself into a state of happiness because the weather is lovely. After the recent spring tease this draft of cold weather that has been accompanied by lots of school stress is definitely dampening my mood.
At the beginning of yoga class today the instructor discussed this correlation, how many of us were feeling lethargic because of the blah weather. Instead of feeling guilty about this “laziness” we should embrace it. In New York it is easy to feel the pressure to do more, push harder, and get more done, but sometimes we need to lay off and take it easier.
Every day I grow more and more frustrated with my injured arm. As someone who has never experienced a serious injury like this (just a broken toe here, a jammed finger there….) every day I feel it become more and more of a hinderance on my daily life. I want to be able to go all out in a zumba class, I want to be able to prove that I am one strong gal in a conditioning class, I want to prove that my warrior two can be all pretty in yoga class.
but I can’t, because I am injured. Instead I dance as hard as I can, but with my right arm at my side, modify exercises in a conditioning class, and lower my right arm in Warrior Two.
Like the weather slowing us down, maybe my arm is trying to do that same. Yes, I live a highly active life. Yes, I do more physical activity than most 21 year olds I know. Perhaps injuring my arm during a trapeze class was sent as a wake up call for me to slow down. You don’t have to always prove you are the strongest girl, the best most intense dancer, or the perfect yogi. You can just be. As a perfectionist and overachiever this drives me crazy. There is this feeling of disgust and laziness that comes over me when I modify whatever exercise I am supposed to be doing at the gym, in dance class, or during yoga.
I need this reminder that I am not lazy. Slowing down is not laziness. Listening to your body is not laziness. Possibly having a torn rotator cuff is not laziness.
It is okay to slow down.
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