Yoga

I’m sure you’ve heard ‘you are what you eat.’ Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, but it’s true. The food we give our bodies is the fuel we are putting in ourselves. If you put junk in, you’ll get only junk out. Nourishment isn’t just food, though. For a healthy mind, you’ll also want a healthy body. Proper blood flow. Plenty of water. Nutrients for good creative flow (Protein).

I started doing yoga on my own while in high school. I didn’t do it often or very well. It wasn’t until I went to college and took an elective class. It was a yoga class. Forty-five minutes, three days a week, in a room that smelled like sweat, rubber, and sandalwood, while the sun set. During that class, I discovered that I felt ten times better while keeping a yoga routine. My body became more flexible. I didn’t cramp or ache. I felt bendier, in a good way. Limber.

Now, I can’t put my feet on my head, or even behind it, or twist my spine in half to sit on my head (a girl in that class could. Disturbing!) but I did notice the subtle change. When I started, I couldn’t touch my feet. Now, I can keep my feet flat during Downward Dog. Like any workout, the results aren’t overnight. Yoga isn’t a fat-burning exercise. It’s more for calming and stress-relief. (I think it’s something like 100 calories in 30 minutes.)

Yoga is a great way to push off the worries of the day and stretch out the sitting position. It keeps the body limber and strong; a healthy body keeps the mind healthy and strong, too.

It’s hard to find time to exercise. I know. Especially if you’re already trying to find time to write and edit. If you added up all the things you were supposed to do in a day, it would be 36 hours worth of things. I’ve started using the first half of my lunch hour to do my yoga. We’ve got a few rooms at the library than I can “confiscate” for 30 minutes.

I also don’t drink a lot of soda. I do eat chocolate on a regular basis, thought. Moderation.

Oh, look at the time – yoga time!