I began practicing yoga to heal parts of me that were broken, abused and perhaps a little excessive. Regardless, I’ve always wanted to do it “right”. And since I’ve been indoctrinated in the value of discipline to get to that place of “right”, I do the thing whether I feel like it or not. Maybe, like me, you’ve been trained to not even ask what you feel like. Just do the thing: make the bed, work, study, workout, write, do the dishes, caretake and, yes, practice yoga.
Like when I was sharing a micro-room in Manhattan to see the film my friend and publisher co directed, I did pranayama in the bathroom and then I put my travel mat in the space between the bed and the wall to practice. I did the thing. I didn’t even waken her.
Same when we went to Allentown, PA to finish the third of my Eco Woman trilogy (epic, I might add. That’s the Amazon link but it’s even better from your local bookstore or bookshop.org) And I did the thing once again in another micro New York hotel gym. I unrolled my mat between the lat machine and the mirror, practicing to disco music blaring into the space. See, I know how to do the thing. For years my “thing” has been yoga and writing.
The best thing about this “thing”, this disciplined practice, is how it taught me to notice how I feel. And I’ve discovered that’s actually doing it “right”. So I notice that, regardless how I begin, I feel better when I finish. Whether I’ve celebrated with champagne and chocolate cake the night before or slept 10 hours of deep sober sleep, my practice improves how I feel and who I am throughout the day. The trick is to do it. Sure, you might say a 3:30 am practice before a 4:30 am Uber is excessive. But at 11:30 am, pain free on the plane, elbow to elbow with my neighbor, I’m grateful for the discipline.
Getting up every day to write and practice yoga makes me feel more like who I am in the world. So when you read my books or this blog, the substack Paradise Found, it’s emagazine or you write or practice in the morning, we’re in it together. I delight in imagining us all awakening early because we love “the thing” first. But secondly, we know that doing “the thing” when you don’t feel like it helps you feel better, even “right”, when you actually feel like it. It’s a process and a discipline based in experience.
So today, maybe right now, maybe throughout the day, take a second and notice what works for you. What’s your “thing”? Remind yourself: that’s yoga. What makes you move more freely? What makes you delight in the day? What resonates with who you are? Own it and vow to do it every day, whether you feel like it or not.
And if you feel like it, shoot me a message here or on the substack and share what it is for you. I’d love to hear.