TIME OUT

Dear Yogis & Yoginis,
One day about two months ago, I took my wrist watch off and put it in my purse. It was bothering me as I was sweating and the metal left a band of black marks. The watch has remained in my purse ever since.
The removal of the watch gave me a great sense of freedom. I was no longer constantly looking at it to make sure I was not late; or how long I had been waiting in a grocery store line; or how much time I should allot myself to reading in the garden; and so on. It’s not that I had become irresponsible about managing my time, I just freed myself from being dictated by the habit of clock-watching. I do what is important at the moment and focus my attention in that moment. I still look at the clock to check the time and to make sure I am not late for important appointments or to pick up my grandkids, but my watch is no longer the center piece of my daily plans. Taking time out from being controlled by it makes me more relaxed and allows me to enjoy being in the moment doing whatever it is.
One of the most common remarks I hear people give for not exercising, or practicing yoga, or starting any projects, is that they would really like to start practicing yoga, but they just don’t have the time. They feel that the time spent practicing yoga is a luxury they cannot afford. They count every minute of the day doing things that are “important” and feel that people who have time to practice yoga are those people with nothing else to do (I actually heard someone said that one day.) These folks are in locked steps with their watch and clock, not realizing that if they truly want to practice yoga, or exercise, they could and would find the time to do so. They can still fulfill their responsibilities at work, and at home, and take time out to take care of themselves.
"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."
--- Antoine de Saint-Exupery --
Namaste,
Clarie

Do No Harm

Several years ago, I attended a week-long workshop taught by my yoga teacher. I was really enjoying the whole experience, learning more about the proper alignment of poses, anatomical relationship between body and poses, and so on. I sat in the front during lectures so I could focus and hear clearly what the teacher was saying, as my teacher spoke excellent English with just enough of an Indian accent to throw me off at times. During one of the sessions, he directed a question at me to explain what is the meaning of ahimsa. I said, “It means do not harm.” He agreed and said that it also meant do-not-kill.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra listed eight limbs of the yoga path, or Eightfold path. The first limb is called “yama” or rein and restraint. Self-restraint can be applied to our daily lives in many ways to develop into the necessary self discipline we need. There are five yamas, and the first one is Ahimsa, do not harm or kill.
Unfortunately for me, during the workshop I was well versed in explaining ahimsa, but forgot to practice it. In my enthusiasm, I must have overdone one of the more challenging twists. Several days later, my lower back felt the pain on the right side, an obvious injury of the sacroiliac joint. For the next three years the injury caused me many sleepless nights, uncomfortable sitting at length, even difficulty to bend down to put on pants. I cursed myself for being careless and for forgetting to be mindful. I am almost fully recovered, but the experience taught me a valuable lesson.
When we step on the yoga mat, we need to set aside our tendency to compete and to push our body beyond its capability. Each time we practice, we have to be mindful of the state we are in at that moment. We must not do violence to our body. Our body readily rebels when abused. Listen and be aware of our body and how it feels at all times.