Resting has never been something that has come easy to me. In yoga, we practice Savasana, a resting pose, at the end of every session. It is as important, and often harder, than any of the active poses. It is a time to let the cells and muscles rejuvenate and to practice being present and still in our bodies.
My tendency, as I adopt this new lifestyle, is to forget to rest. This is no surprise as I tend to do everything to extreme. I am struggling to find the balance between making sure each day is spent doing something active and aerobic, and not doing so much that I forget to give my body time to recover. A few times this month I have not spaced my swims or runs far enough apart and then have struggled, only to correct it the following week and reach amazing distances and endurance.
And now, with this somatic reminder of the importance of resting muscles that have been torn, pushed, stretched to the edge of their capacity, I try to extend the same kindness to myself in matters of emotion and stress. I've been so conditioned to be strong, capable, handle everything that I can forget that the heart is a muscle too and after marathon-like demands on it's capacity to give and care, it too needs time to rest, pause, climb into Savasana and just be - to prepare for the next opportunity to beat stronger.
Maybe, the next long run, I'll turn over the work to the legs and let everything else just come along for the ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment