A Fool Proof Plan

Thanks to Elinor's suggestion, I have started a running program -- just finished run #2. And I feel great! The program starts with 60 sec of jogging/90 sec of walking alternated for 20 minutes in the first week and gradually increases time and duration of jogging until, by week 9, I'll be jogging for 30 minutes straight. Can't wait.

Last Monday, I only completed 15 minutes of the prescribed 20 minutes. I had a stitch in my side and was bored with the indoor track. Today, it was overcast and 65 degrees. Everyone in the Twin Cities is outside. I loaded my Nano with fast-paced music and headed for Lake Calhoun. Twenty minutes went by so fast!

But the best part? I've set myself up for success this time, without really realizing it. I am working with a student right now who is in high school and has severely depressed reading skills. He wants to learn to read and recognizes how important it is, but because of the frustration he feels and the intensity of the work we do, he often refuses to work and finds excuses for not participating. I saw the parallel between his goals and frustrations with my struggles to find an exercise plan that would allow me to lose weight and feel healthier. So I told him I was starting this running program and compared my goal to build stamina and strength for running with his goal to learn to read. I've been keeping him updated with my progress, including the days I talked myself out of running or didn't go as far as I wanted to. One day he said running would be easy for him. I replied that I would much rather be reading, but that we both need this to make our lives better, and it's not easy for either of us. And that we can do it.

The result is that I can't give up on this plan, can't procrastinate it, can't make excuses and give up, can't pretend I didn't tell him about it. Kids have a fantastic ability to hold us accountable, and I certainly can't go to my student now and say, "Sorry, this running program is just too hard. I'll never be able to run or get healthy." The truth is, if we both stick with it, we can both succeed, and if I'm going to be role-model in this struggle, I better do everything possible to prove that success is possible!

Today it's mind on yoga

This is the first Wednesday I've had off in over a month. I've been working overtime a lot and I really feel like I'm playing hooky today - even though it is a scheduled day off. I did yoga this morning -- maybe because I've been reading lots of back issues of Yoga Journal this week, but I felt really inspired to just make up whatever I want to do and not worry about the order of the poses or how long I stay in them or how many repititions I do. I challenged myself this week to do five repetitions of surya namaskar, sun salutations, which is important to maintain (In the past, I would tell myself I would do them and would get through one cycle and quit), but other than that, I was pleased to do one set of Trikonasana, Warrior I and II and a couple of other standing poses. I usually feel inordinately challenged by these poses in class, as if the length of the hold and number of repetitions of one pose will push me beyond my endurance and strength. But doing it on my own for the length of time I decided felt invigorating. It was funny because as I was trying to sink into supta virasana I realized there were a couple of other poses I wanted to do that would normally be done earlier in a class. For a minute I felt like I shouldn't do them, but then I realized this really was my practice and I could do them in whatever order I felt like doing them. I know there are extra benefits to practicing certain poses or types of poses in specific orders, but there has to be some benefit as well to just doing what your body seems to be wanting.

Also, I tested something out today when I got through all of the poses and was ready for savasana. It occurred to me recently that the benefits I feel from this pose could be more related to it being a kind of "still point" a la cranio-sacral therapy than an opportunity for me to focus on my breathing. At least, in my case, I've never been terribly successful at pushing out extraneous thoughts during savasana, but I definitely would argue that I feel the benefits of this pose. So I used my makeshift sacro-wedgie (SW) to create a still point for my sacrum and laid in corpse pose until my pelvis released the tension and I was able to sink around the SW. After awhile I removed it and lay in savasana for who knows how long. I definitely think it helps -- I was actually able to focus on my breath for a longer period of time, and when my mind drifted back to "regular" thoughts, I felt they were more focused, less chaotic.

Anyway, I want to explore this connection between savasana and CST still points. I definitely think there is a link.

In knitting news, I'm so excited about starting my socks I can hardly stand it. I don't think there has been a time since I began knitting when I wanted to do a project and couldn't. I've never felt this sort of anticipation for my knitting before. I think its a totally exciting new way of looking at my projects. And I'm competitive enough to get a real charge from having this deadline and challenge ahead of me.