Getting Back In There…

I know I am not alone in this, but when I have gotten out of my habitual exercise program, for any number of reasons (a trip, extra work, having a cold, etc), I always feel a bit guilty. My reasons right now are as follows (confession time). I took a week long trip home to Texas to visit family and friends, and well there wasn’t much yoga or exercising going on while I was there. I took all of 1 walk with a tiny chihuahua, and we had to cut it short because I didn’t bring a bag and well, yeah. I looked around for something to help me (and to see if any neighbors saw it happen), and actually pondered pretending I didn’t notice myself. Instead I “borrowed” one of those neighborhood newspapers that was lying in someones driveway turning yellow, and used it to carry the little package back to my father’s house. This then prompted my father to tell me that “This is Texas, and we don’t pick up **** here.” Lovely. Ok, well so that was my exercise for the week. I even downloaded a free yoga video for my iphone to do before bed, but did I do it? Nope. When I returned I meant to get RIGHT back into the studio, but my 2 month package had expired, and well I suppose I have been a bit lazy lately and just not committed to it. Personal stress has also gotten in the way as I have some things going on with me (don’t we all?), and so it hasn’t been a priority. I sit here now knowing that this is all ridiculous. I know for a fact that yoga helps deal with stress, and that exercise is something that will really help my mental outlook. I have gone to green lake a few times, and being outdoors also helps, but there is just something magical about yoga.

Here’s the thing I have figured out about guilt. It is completely useless. So, instead of feeling guilty about being away from my yoga practice, on Monday I am going to go start anew. The Gentle Hatha Restorative Class is PERFECT for this. Jude will get me back on track, I just know it. I am also not going to chide myself, as that just puts my practice into a category of “duty” rather than “bliss”. I so much prefer bliss. If any of you can relate to this please know you aren’t alone. We all get sidetracked, but getting back on the whole health train should be something to look forward to, not something that nags at you. Just let that all go. There is no nagging in yoga!

To aid in my stress relief I am also going to schedule an appointment with Melissa Rosenberger for some acupuncture. She has 2 acupuncture clinics a week at Maya’s Fremont location, and I have been meaning to try this out. i have never done it before, but I know that acupuncture is great for bursitis (which I struggle with in my hips), and could also help my anxiety, stress, and IBS (yep, such a joy!). I am really looking forward to trying it out! My physician and my naturopath have both recommended it for me, so hopefully it will help!

I hope you all have a blissful weekend!

Namaste!

~Marissa