Opposing Directions

After doing yoga, I often feel more composed and at ease, even though I usually engage in an active, vigorous practice. Whereas my other exercise regimens (like running or weight lifting) leave me feeling exhausted or invigorated and enthusiastic, but do not bring me the same sense of calm that I receive from yoga.

As I was moving through my poses tonight, I thought about the way yoga asks our bodies to move in opposing directions. In utkatasana (chair pose), the tail bone moves down toward the earth, while the arms are reaching up to the sky. In Virabhadrasana II (warrior II), the front and back legs are moving away from each other, while not moving from where the feet are planted on the mat. And so on. We use our minds to activate our bodies and our muscles to create a tension of opposing forces, while finding our center to balance out these oppositions.

In life, we are constantly doing the same thing - attempting to find balance admist opposing desires and forces pulling us in incompatible directions. In yoga, we use the strength of our abdominal muscles in our core body to balance out the movement in our limbs. In life, we use the core strength of who we are to find our balance. We can use the peace of mind that yoga brings in our daily routines to help us juggle the stress and demands of modern life.

Today's workout:
60 min. elliptical/hill routine (5.9 mi)
20 min. resistance training
60 min. yoga