Bearing the Yogi

Wow. That was painful. August, I mean. I hope you know, that was all a façade. I don’t parade around with a silly crown on my head for my entire birthday month. I think I have one picture of me in a princess costume…and I was six years old. I traded that PAPER crown in for a sweatband long ago! You do what you gotta do when you when the month doesn’t present any national awareness days you are familiar with. Looks like I have some studying up to do, lest I besiege you with “all about me” next year as well! Note: I’d like to take a year off and have no new crazy conditions pop up, please. At age 51, I realize it’s a tall order, but throw me a bone here…

The person that developed the national awareness subjects for the month of September must have had kids that returned to school, because the list to choose from is monstrous. And SHE must have been pretty excited to enjoy a meal by herself, because the food day celebration list is SAWEET. September celebrates guacamole, peanuts, cheese AND pepperoni pizza, queso, and what seems to be American’s favorite morning pastime (although not mine…) COFFEE. Bottoms up!

This month, I am gonna do my sister a solid, and it’s not even her birthday. September happens to be National Yoga Awareness Month (I can hear her squealing with delight, even pulling her little fists up by her face and swiftly waving them back and forth in excitement—you all just did that to see what it felt like, didn’t you? Hehe.) Now, I was as big a skeptic as anyone about yoga practice, but what I learned is that it IS beneficial, and you can make it what you want it to be.

For the “doubting Thomas” and the eye roller—know this. Yoga practice is actually addressed in my medical-surgical nursing textbook. We are taught as nurses that we are treating the WHOLE patient, not just the physical one. A patient’s spiritual, cultural, and emotional background affect who they are and play a huge part in the healing process. Yoga is suggested as a complimentary or alternative therapy to help cope with stress.

Stress isn’t always bad. A little stress can motivate you and can inspire you to achieve a goal and become more confident or stronger physically. The body doesn’t differentiate between good and bad stressors, but we sure as heck respond differently, don’t we? Sometimes that difference in response is based on how long one has endured the stressor, how intense that stressor is, or the level of resilience, hardiness, and attitude of the individual. Even the nutritional and sleep status can affect the response to stress. These are all internal factors. But there are external factors that are not always in the control of the individual that play a key role in the ability to cope. Cultural/ethnic influences, socioeconomic status, social support, timing of stressors, and the number of stressors that one is already experiencing compound the stress experience and have a huge impact on an individual.

When a person is stressed, muscles tense, and breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Regardless of the type of yoga, deep abdominal relaxation breathing is a main component and helps one to focus on the inner self and promote the relaxation response.

Yoga also involves postures and stretching to increase strength and flexibility. It is low impact and is usually safe for most individuals. I have found that although I can carry a desk up a flight of stairs, I can barely hold some yoga poses for even 15 seconds, and…well…poo-poo on my flexibility. I have been sore in muscles that I was not aware were in the human body, and I have been a massage therapist for 15 years. In your yoga practice, you do what you can do. You hold positions for however long you can. You stretch to whatever your limits are. You challenge yourself and are in competition with no one else.  If you are one that has joint or flexibility issues that you see your doctor for, please check with him before you start any serious yoga practice.

There is a commonly known yoga pose—one that is relatively more simple-- called “child’s pose”. After some research, I have found that this pose is super calming for the mind. It’s great for lower digestion. It elongates the lower back and opens up the hips. If you don’t know what it looks like, google it. I mean, really. It helps my body, is good for my mental health, AND helps me process that cookie I just ate? I’m SOLD!

If you would like to try it, and you feel the need for some professional instruction to get you started, there are studios with introductory fees all over the place. Better yet, go with a friend who is already involved that can get you a free pass! Or my favorite—just go rogue! There are ALL KINDS of YouTube videos that you can follow, right in the comfort of your own home. My video of choice? Yoga for Beginners with Adrienne. She’s someone that really honors her own practice, but she’s a big goof. She doesn’t make me feel bad that I am not where she is, and she encourages me to make the practice my own.

I have asked my sister (and your Financial Friday Blogger), “What do you want skeptics to know about yoga?” She has a much deeper knowledge and commitment to yoga practice than I do, and she is extremely passionate about it—just as passionate as I am about carrying desks up flights of stairs! Her comments are below:

“First of all, it is harder than it looks. There are physical, mental, and emotional benefits. It is NOT just stretching. It takes practice, so don’t be too hard on yourself at first. This is NOT just for women. Men are naturally less flexible than women, but they can achieve the same benefits. It’s not about ‘giving your soul’ over to some perceived ‘evil’ entity—I realize this might be a concern for some, based on its roots. My energy has increased, my soreness with other activities and chronic pain have been significantly reduced, confidence has been instilled and my mind is at peace, as I have practiced yoga for the last 13 years and LOVE it.”

One might refer to my sister as a “yogi”, or one that is really committed to her practice. The word “yogi” actually means “union”, maybe translating to “one with oneself”? Again, it is YOUR practice. The Yogi, Boo Boo, and picnic baskets of old have traded up for the Yogi, yoga mats, and other yogi friends of today. Back then, I may have said that my sister was “smarter than the average bear.” But today, I say to her…and to ALL of you…

Namaste…and

Be well!