Yoga: 30 in 30

I started a yoga practice on January 1st. After spending much of the holiday season alone, I decided never to spend a week like that again.

Why?

I was surprised how little I'd accomplished in peacetime over the last few years. Dozens of projects that earlier met their premature demise were still littered on the perimeter of my apartment. No real thing to work toward or believe in, without fear that wartime or something similar would take away whatever impulse I had to try and accomplish something seemingly less necessary.

I was also surprised how little structure there was in my life. Given my non-work lifestyle, I could drift for days doing minor chores, lying down all day, watching TV and reading books. This may sound good, in theory -- but not if all you do is subsist, watch TV and read books.

So each month this year I'll study a subject in depth, and each month I'll write something I learned about it along the way.

And next year, I'll just go see my family, wherever they are.

So yoga. After five days I can say that I'm adjusting. Certain things I wasn't comfortable with on day one are becoming more rote. Things that scared me at first -- the shoulder headstand, for example -- are starting to look like reasonable positions to strive for. I'm more active at work because I'm breathing and positioned better. My mind races in the night, generally w/ positive flair. My sleep is disrupted, but it isn't costing me awareness during the day. And my heart seems to patter a little bit more, which in turn tends to make me hungrier (when the heart is ticking fast, the stomach seems to want food), but that may improve with time.

At all points, I am conscious to make better decisions.

Namaste.