"Back in the day" I had a physical job. I hung from ropes in highly uncomfortable positions doing some pretty dangerous stuff. Often, every muscle clenched - from brow to sphincter.  65 feet up a tree with a chainsaw running, body twisted and getting ready to unleash big, dynamic forces, it was hard to be mindful.

At the end of a day like that, it was nice to go to a little neighborhood Hatha Yoga class where it felt like there was all the time in the world to settle into each position, check in with every muscle group and make sure all the non-essentials were relaxed, one by one. (And then all relaxed, shuffle across the street to have some great Japanese food and get a little tipsy on sake).

Now I'm mostly at a computer, trying to get a business off the ground. Days go by without a good workout. I used to think working out was a bit silly - why not just climb trees for a living? - but now I can appreciate how easy it is to fall into a static way and that can be more brutal in some ways than a physical job. So it's nice to have my ass kicked once in a while.
Today's class was a truncated half hour session and thus double-time and a bit of an ass-kicker. I know class is good when I feel a bit blissed out or when awareness settles somewhere new, but it's also good class when the brain unleashed a string of silent expletives.
Thanks for kicking my ass, Anya.
Written by Alec B
Body Banter