Dumpin
So, since last Saturday I have been on a mission to do something I have never done before every day.
Why you might ask?
Well one reason is, as a Yoga teacher it can become super easy, all be it somewhat unconscious, to land in a routine. We teach at the same time every day, same studio's or gyms, to relatively the same people, some even the same sequences, using the same music. So it can be quite easy to find yourself doing the same things in between classes, talking to the same people, stretching the same parts of your body over and over again (and wonder why we are injured ;). And quite honestly, I found myself becoming uninspired.
In the Yoga world, at least mine, we call it 'needing a fix'.
In my classes, to students, I tell them they are 'dumping' (hence the name of this post.)
Dumping in Yoga means we are continually going in to the same area's of the body that are already open. It means that students can do the poses 'really well', or they feel like they are going much 'deeper'. But in reality they are avoiding the areas that are holding the tension/issues, and instead going back to the places that are already tension free/open, just pushing it above or below. This can lead to more issues/injuries.
In life, it can look like routine or habits. Doing the same thing over and over so as to not have to experience anything new, different, 'out of the box', perhaps in fear ~ what might happen, how will I look, what will people think..... and so goes the list of limiting beliefs we carry.
So I thought, what a great way to put my Yoga to the test, and get right out of my 'comfort zone'.
The first thing I did was a spin class. I hated every minute of it. Seriously, maybe even every second. I kept looking at the clock wondering if I was going to make it. Gawd, it's sooo hard!
But, once I was done, I was surprised to find how amazing I felt afterwards. I don't know if it was the endorphins from the crazy amount of cardio, or that I was thankful I was still alive, not dead from a heart attack, but I felt really alive and refreshed.
Upon contemplation I realized that it really opened my eyes to some of the 'things' I was missing to create balance in my physical/mental body.
Yoga for me is an insignificant cardio practice. I can control my heart rate, have options to rest, listen to my body and know when to take it down a notch if I have to, and know how to pace myself. But spin showed me that my heart and lungs clearly needed this type of activity to keep them healthy and challenged. I also found myself frustrated, at one point angry, and then came the intense desire to quit. All the 'issues', or in Yoga, samskara's, that I felt I had been working on, and hadn't shown up for awhile, reared their ugly head!
My first thought.... maybe I had been doing a little 'dumping' of my own.
'Yes, at the very bottom of my soul I feel grateful to all my misery and bouts of sickness and everything about me that is imperfect.' ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
The next thing I tried was Cardio Kickboxing.
I used to kickbox when i was in college. I loved it! Blew my knee though so had to stop, and can now only do low impact sports/cardio. So here was cardio kickboxing ~ low impact and kickboxing. This is going to be great!
Yeah, not so much. But wow, did it ever show me how much Yoga has worked for me, and again, some things I needed to be reminded of.
First off, in Yoga I feel very coordinated. Cardio Kickboxing very UNcoordinated. Going from moving slow and deliberate to fast and well.... for me it was flailing, was really tough. Totally outside of my comfort zone. All I could do was laugh... at myself. This class also reminded me what it felt like to be a beginner at something ~ totally uncoordinated, have no idea what's going on or what's to come, even just walking in to the class ~ where do I stand, which way do I face, are the people behind me staring.
So needless to say it has been super interesting, revealing, and inspiring to try new things, break my 'routine', and experience new things. And although I very much enjoyed them (I am actually kinda addicted to Spin now), I have to say that Yoga is still my love and passion. But, all the experiences through the past couple of weeks has, in a really lovely way, reminded me to keep doing the 'work', stop 'dumping', stay inspired in anyway possible, and it's OK to super suck/fail at something (says the reformed perfectionist ;), and to never give up cause it feels so amazing to make it through!
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. - William James
So I would really like to encourage you all to step outside of your 'box' every once and awhile. Put your Yoga to the test, see how it's working for you. Stop dumping, in your body and your life, and stay truly, unbelievably, beautifully inspired!
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do." ~ Mark Twain
First published July 7, 2012
Why you might ask?
Well one reason is, as a Yoga teacher it can become super easy, all be it somewhat unconscious, to land in a routine. We teach at the same time every day, same studio's or gyms, to relatively the same people, some even the same sequences, using the same music. So it can be quite easy to find yourself doing the same things in between classes, talking to the same people, stretching the same parts of your body over and over again (and wonder why we are injured ;). And quite honestly, I found myself becoming uninspired.
In the Yoga world, at least mine, we call it 'needing a fix'.
In my classes, to students, I tell them they are 'dumping' (hence the name of this post.)
Dumping in Yoga means we are continually going in to the same area's of the body that are already open. It means that students can do the poses 'really well', or they feel like they are going much 'deeper'. But in reality they are avoiding the areas that are holding the tension/issues, and instead going back to the places that are already tension free/open, just pushing it above or below. This can lead to more issues/injuries.
In life, it can look like routine or habits. Doing the same thing over and over so as to not have to experience anything new, different, 'out of the box', perhaps in fear ~ what might happen, how will I look, what will people think..... and so goes the list of limiting beliefs we carry.
So I thought, what a great way to put my Yoga to the test, and get right out of my 'comfort zone'.
The first thing I did was a spin class. I hated every minute of it. Seriously, maybe even every second. I kept looking at the clock wondering if I was going to make it. Gawd, it's sooo hard!
But, once I was done, I was surprised to find how amazing I felt afterwards. I don't know if it was the endorphins from the crazy amount of cardio, or that I was thankful I was still alive, not dead from a heart attack, but I felt really alive and refreshed.
Upon contemplation I realized that it really opened my eyes to some of the 'things' I was missing to create balance in my physical/mental body.
Yoga for me is an insignificant cardio practice. I can control my heart rate, have options to rest, listen to my body and know when to take it down a notch if I have to, and know how to pace myself. But spin showed me that my heart and lungs clearly needed this type of activity to keep them healthy and challenged. I also found myself frustrated, at one point angry, and then came the intense desire to quit. All the 'issues', or in Yoga, samskara's, that I felt I had been working on, and hadn't shown up for awhile, reared their ugly head!
My first thought.... maybe I had been doing a little 'dumping' of my own.
'Yes, at the very bottom of my soul I feel grateful to all my misery and bouts of sickness and everything about me that is imperfect.' ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
The next thing I tried was Cardio Kickboxing.
I used to kickbox when i was in college. I loved it! Blew my knee though so had to stop, and can now only do low impact sports/cardio. So here was cardio kickboxing ~ low impact and kickboxing. This is going to be great!
Yeah, not so much. But wow, did it ever show me how much Yoga has worked for me, and again, some things I needed to be reminded of.
First off, in Yoga I feel very coordinated. Cardio Kickboxing very UNcoordinated. Going from moving slow and deliberate to fast and well.... for me it was flailing, was really tough. Totally outside of my comfort zone. All I could do was laugh... at myself. This class also reminded me what it felt like to be a beginner at something ~ totally uncoordinated, have no idea what's going on or what's to come, even just walking in to the class ~ where do I stand, which way do I face, are the people behind me staring.
So needless to say it has been super interesting, revealing, and inspiring to try new things, break my 'routine', and experience new things. And although I very much enjoyed them (I am actually kinda addicted to Spin now), I have to say that Yoga is still my love and passion. But, all the experiences through the past couple of weeks has, in a really lovely way, reminded me to keep doing the 'work', stop 'dumping', stay inspired in anyway possible, and it's OK to super suck/fail at something (says the reformed perfectionist ;), and to never give up cause it feels so amazing to make it through!
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. - William James
So I would really like to encourage you all to step outside of your 'box' every once and awhile. Put your Yoga to the test, see how it's working for you. Stop dumping, in your body and your life, and stay truly, unbelievably, beautifully inspired!
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do." ~ Mark Twain
First published July 7, 2012
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