Yoga
I’ve been a yoga girl for years and years. I’m not very good…running makes yoga much harder, so that the muscles that should be long end up short and so I’m not very flexible….but it’s something I really enjoy and which definitely has a gentle and positive effect on both my mind and body. It’s an excellent counterbalance to running too.
I like the message that comes from yoga. It’s about travelling the path, living simply and being aware in the here and now. It’s also very anti ego. There isn’t (or shouldn’t be) any competition. Everyone works to the best of their ability and there is no judgement, no not good enough. Life should be more like that.
This weekend – for the first time ever – I went on a yoga retreat. It was held in an old farmhouse in canton Thurgau. I would love to show you photos, but I rather stupidly forgot to take my camera with me. Next time I’ll remember. It was very, very pretty and very, very far removed from my normal hectic everyday life. I have gone to the same wonderful yoga teacher for years, so I knew that it would be good. I hadn’t quite reckoned with all the wonderful vegetarian Indian food that we would also be eating. Yum!
It did me good to get away for a couple of days – something I never normally do. It made me see that it would actually benefit everyone if I did this more often. I’ve come home feeling refreshed, looking at life with fresh eyes and am moving through my day with a slow but steadily purposeful pace. I feel like I’ve stretched out and strengthened my body, and I’m fit and calm and ready to deal with anything and everything that comes my way.
Which happens today to be my annual mammogram…
Oh well, I guess life can’t be all fun!
Namaste and have a good week,
Helen
June 6th, 2011 at 8:06 am
Sounds perfect Helen – the yoga, meditation on life, the yummy vegetarian Indian food..I would so love that now. You`ve reminded me that I need to have my annual squeeze and thanks for that…hope all is fine. Have a lovely week!
June 6th, 2011 at 11:13 am
It sounds as though you have a lovely time – hope all is well with the annual exam – had mine earlier this year – here we go every two years.
I enjoyed my retreat as well and think that I like paper piecing (Ive got a lot more to do to finish the project we started during the retreat) – it is so precise. Unfortunately our food was not as tasty or healthy as yours – but you can’t have everything – we did have great weather and scenery as well as a wonderful teacher.
June 6th, 2011 at 11:54 am
I often dream of a few days away but it never seems to happen. 🙁 Glad to hear you fell revitalised and motivated by your break. I think you deserved some self-indulgence.
June 6th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
What a treat Helen! I used to do yoga but (like quilting, eating out etc etc) I have had to put it on the back burner while my kids are young. One day I will take it back up again I hope.
One thing I never really got the hang of was doing the breathing correctly whilst doing the poses – I could do just breathing, or just posing, but my brain never engaged sufficiently to do both at the same time! Glad you had a lovely well-earned break.