After one of my corporate classes this week…a man came up to me and said, “I was laughing inside every time you said that we should ‘honor your body’. I take every opportunity to abuse my body, and give it hard workouts.”
Honoring our body means tuning in: paying attention not only to what we are feeling in our physical body, but in our mind, and our gut reactions. Both on the mat, and in life, it’s important to have goals and work hard, but not overdo it, because that can lead to injury, or crashing and burning, or both.
Sometimes, less is more. When we are in an Asana, or pose, sometimes backing off can actually give you more benefit from the pose. Sometimes, agreeing to do less, is more, because it gives us an opportunity to slow down the pace of our hectic lives just a little bit, and get more benefit out of what we are choosing to do. Sometimes, in our physical workouts, less is more because it honors our bodies by not overworking.
Years ago, by overworking my shoulder, I caused my first tendonitis. That was a painful lesson, that I try to remember.
Body, Mind, and Spirit are all interrelated and affect each other greatly. Some days, less is more, and I choose to spend my limited block of time meditating, focusing on my breath or a positive thought, instead of choosing physical movement. (Note: I am not suggesting that you blindly trust your gut reaction! Instead, observe your gut reaction, and use your mind to determine what your best course of action is.)
Maybe, give yourself a gift today: honor your body. Tune In, be quiet for a moment, ask your body what it needs today, ask your mind and spirit what they need today. Try listening to your inner voice.
May you be Well.
From my heart to yours, Namaste,
Dorothy