Photo from the 108 Sun Salutations event at Scottsdale Life Time Fitness
I did it! On Saturday September 26, 2009, for the first time in three years, I completed 108 sun salutations! Woo hoo!!!!
Ok, so maybe that wasn’t a proper introduction from a journalistic standpoint. However, I am sure those of you that are familiar with the event will agree that I have the right to be extra happy. Here is why:
First, it was a very positive process for me. Notice I said process. I am referring to the fact that I actually prepared myself, physically and mentally, for a month.
Second, the actual event was very physically demanding. Tiffany and Kirk, the two instructors that led the Chanhassen Life Time Fitness 108, were great in providing us an even yet challenging tempo. Believe it or not, there were a couple of times I actually thought of creating an excuse to get out. That’s right, for a split-second I came up with a family emergency that I had to run off to until I remembered that my cell phone was in my bag outside of the studio. Silly me!! My mental tricks were fully evaded, and I dutifully kept myself in pace with Tiffany and Kirk. If it weren’t for their guidance and encouragement, I would have been out the door.
“How did it feel,” you ask? Somewhere in the beginning my not-so-warmed-up body started to take inventory of the multiple injuries I have suffered. However, once warm, I was ready to go. It was around Sun Salutation number 18 when I hit “the zone”. I know that because that’s when I lost count. It was kind of like being in a dream. I was literally flowing without any attention to time, number, or exhaustion. The only time I felt tired or exhausted was when Tiffany or Kirk would give us a break. And that’s when my mind and body would come up with the excuses to stop.
Thankfully, I adequately prepared myself physically for the event providing me the stamina, strength, and flexibility necessary to be fully present and experience it. Those of you who are athletes know what I mean. When you get into "the zone", it is as if all time stops – you feel like you are floating. In addition, every thing is clear, you are aware of all sights and sounds, and none of it ever feels distracting.
When we finally bowed-out, I had a sense of joy and accomplishment. Most interesting was the sense of bonding with the other folks that also made it through. Bright! That is exactly how I felt, almost as if I was beaming bright white light. I felt like I could have done another round of 108 sun salutations.
Photo from the 108 Sun Salutations event at Scottsdale Life Time Fitness
Speaking of another round of 108, we will be celebrating the Winter Solstice in late December and I once again invite you to join me. If you celebrated the 108 this past weekend, I am interested in hearing how you did and how it felt. Please add your comments to this blog.
So, I felt like I was beaming, glowing, a literal bright light. I was joyful, happy, and excited for my journey and for completing the event. I was energized and ready to do more.
So what does this mean? How do I keep alive that spark, that light, my inner torch? Well, long story short, let me illustrate it with a story I learned from a business/fitness coach by the name of Kate Larsen that should begin to provide you a response. I believe she is based out of the Minneapolis area.
Apparently, an ancient Greek racing contest involved runners that actually ran with a lit torch. You probably already assumed that the winner is the first person to cross the finish line but, in actuality, the winner was the first runner to get across the finish line with their torch still lit. Still lit!
You can imagine, a runner had to be that much more present to the conditions and environment in order to keep that flame alive. They slowed down if the flame started to die, they took cover if there was rain or high winds, and they took a break if they were getting tired or risked dropping the torch, each time re-establishing a new pace and plan to arrive at the finish line with their torch still lit.
Expectations set by society and technology have set a pace where life moves much faster than what the mind, body, and heart can manage. These expectations cause us to sprint to the finish line in order to “make a difference”, resulting in burn-out, broken relationships, and unfulfilled desires – our torches fully out.
What are lessons that we can gather from Yoga? Well, that would require lots of extra writing thereby potentially boring you. So here is an acronym that sums up the common lessons of Yoga, and it's a great practice to keep your inner spark or torch alive. The acronym is known as the "BASICS" and stands for breath, awareness, silence, intention, compassion, and slowing down (this is from an old work buddy and mindbody guru, author Jonathan Ellerby).
Breath
Breath work is the core of mindbody practices and has been scientifically proven to reduce stress and optimize creativity and thought. Anytime you are feeling frustrated or ready to "pop-a-fuse", stop and take a few deep breaths.
Awareness
Awareness without judgment or control is the key to mastering our choices and reactions. Take time to become more aware; observing and witnessing are two other words for the same goal. It’s as simple as taking a “step back” from our reaction mode so that we can enter a mode of skillful and conscious choosing.
Silence
Silence is the gateway to greater awareness. In silence we are best able to move into a mode that is about listening to our inner dialogue and emotional state. It’s in silence where we are able to separate our reaction from what we are reacting to.
Intention
Intention is about making choices based on what we want to create more of, and not based on old stories and emotions. We clarify our highest good in the moment and are able to create greater focus, set priorities, and let go of confusion or thoughts and attitudes that do not support us.
Compassion
Compassion is the common attitude cultivated in all mindful and spiritual practices providing the feeling of being fulfilled and causes us to make healthful choices. This attitude of compassion accompanies non-attachment to things such as judgment, perfection, control, impatience, or blame. Compassion within leads to acts of compassion outside of us. This provides us healthier attitudes and choices. Think about this one, an act of health done out of judgment and poor self-worth, such as losing weight, doesn’t create the same results as doing it with an attitude of forgiveness, celebration of our body, and respecting the self.
Slow Down
Slowing down is the most critical to improving health. As mentioned earlier, expectations set by society and technology has set a pace where life moves much faster than what we can manage. This is probably the most critical variable in improving health by reducing stress, burn-out, and unbalanced lives. The key to this variable is pace, meaning how much we try to fit into a limited space in time. It’s not really how much or any one type of activity, but the pace at which we expect ourselves to do it is what ends up being so debilitating.
These six basic principles can provide you the tools to create more meaningful, healthful, and balanced interactions to maintain your inner spark, keeping your torch fully alive.
Thank you all for following me these past few weeks in preparation for the Fall Equinox 108 Sun Salutations event. Feel free to follow my blog, “To Yoga or not to Yoga” on mylt.com.
Photo from the 108 Sun Salutations event at Scottsdale Life Time Fitness
