Finding Balance with Yoga

As you may know from my earlier post, I've decided not to run the Windermere marathon this year. Recently it seemed like every minute of every day has been taken up with work and generally doing things that need to be done in the house while mum hasn't been well, and somehow into all of that I was trying to shoehorn 6+ hours of training a week.

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This week it all finally got too much. I got sick for the first time in ages and it put me out of action for a few days. To be totally honest it has done me the world of good! I took a day off both jobs and spent THE ENTIRE day on the sofa, no TV, just a lovely quiet day with my puppies and my kindle (and a box of chocolates). I've realised I need to find the balance in my life... and this is where yoga comes in.

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I started yoga last year when I was in Texas on my rest days from running in an attempt to gain more flexibility and overall strength. I started again a few weeks ago when I thought I was going to run the marathon as I needed to keep stretching and strengthening to keep injury free. But now it's finding a new place in my life other than just a support for running and the more I do the more I enjoy it.

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To start with I got into the habit of doing a little bit every day and I knew it I found myself standing at my mat almost every evening. Yoga is great as there are so many variations of practice to suit how you feel and how much time you have. Sometimes it's just a 15 minute stretch and relaxation and other times I try something more challenging during the day such as a cardio or core routine. I'm enjoying the physical challenge of stretching and body weight training (ouch core work) and hope that over time I'll improve my practice. One of the other elements of yoga that I'm finding beneficial is that it's about being present and focussed. It encourages you to forget about everything else that's going on and focus on my body, breath and movement.

The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind.

Rodney Yee