It is so hard to get back into the habit of blogging and practicing yoga. I come home in the evening, and really have trouble mustering the energy and focus to tackle either of these activities that were so closely bound together for nearly four years. If I let my guard down, it's 10:30 and I can just fit in a little meditation, some pranayama. Because of some family issues, I did not even make it to the gym this weekend for exercise. My knee injury broke more than my meniscus. I just feel pulled in so many directions, and then throw in the worries of the economic downturn and what it can mean in personal terms. It's like an unstable weather pattern, just on the edge of downpours, stiff winds and flooding.
Labels: yoga
I am slowly working my way back to practicing yoga. My orthopedic surgeon has given me a thumbs up on my recovery, and does not need to see me again. I have been putting in a daily average of 30 minutes walking and 30 minutes stationary bike for about a month. I've gone back to climb the eight flights of stairs of my office building. I've been doing some of the rehab exercises. I had a session of acupuncture on my knee today, and I'll get a massage tomorrow, so I've been lavishing care on my body.
If I do a lot of walking, I will have a little discomfort in my knee the following day and it will feel stiff. I've also noticed recently that I have a lot of discomfort in my right sit bone, probably due to the hamstring. I can't take sitting down for a long time.
I am aiming to start up yoga class again next Tuesday at Thrive Yoga. Pierre Couvillion will teach that evening. Although it's a relatively advanced, all-levels, vinyasa flow class, I would prefer to have the watchful eye of a yoga therapist watching as I move through the poses. He told me he could indicate modifications of those poses that might be risky for me.
I really miss the community of the yoga studio, and also the disciplined structure that a regular practice builds into my life. Even though I should have more "free time," I don't seem to get a lot more done. I really miss the big muscle movements from the vinyasa. Aerobic exercise or weight lifting does not provide the same kind of satisfaction.
Washington Post It Isn't About the Trash Can explores some of the growing uses of mindfulness by psychologists:
In mental health terms, mindfulness is the awareness that emerges from focusing on the present and the ability to perceive -- but not judge -- your own emotions with detachment; it enables you to choose helpful responses to difficult situations rather than reacting out of habit. While Western thought separates religion and science, Buddhists see mindfulness as both a spiritual and psychological force.
Also check out the test for innate mindfulness. None of this stuff is earth-shattering news for anyone who has been practicing. It's the mainstreaming of non-Western knowledge.
NY Times In One Section of Beth Israel Hospital, Some Patients Are Saying 'Om,' Not 'Ah' is an article about a year-long experimenet in a New York City hospital:
But Dr. Benjamin Kligler, the research director in integrative family medicine for the Beth Israel-affiliated Continuum Center for Health and Healing and the research project's principal investigator, acknowledged that the experiment of yoga teachers and their interaction with patients did not lend itself to the random, double-blind placebo trials favored in the medical world.
Of course, it helps that the project sponsor is the fashion designer Donna Karan and her foundation. But she has also mustered many experts, both inside and outside the yoga world, to collaborate on this effort.
