Back on the yoga mat again

Yesterday I woke up to a body that ached all over.
But not because of some killer yoga workout.
No.
I ached because my body was missing yoga.
How can that be? I promised to do yoga once a day every day for the month of March.
Well...
Time to fess up.
I pushed that promise to the far recesses of my brain throughout last week. I've skipped approximately 8 days this month.
Bailing on my commitment.
Does not feel good.
 
Has this ever happened to you?
You promised yourself you'd eat healthier. No more chocolate. No more potato chips. But then someone leaves a bag of chips behind at your house after a dinner party. And you eat one. Then you eat a handful. Then you think, "Well, I just blew it. There goes my promise. I may as well finish the bag."

I may as well finish the bag?! Crazy, right?

Well, that is exactly what I almost did with my yoga commitment.

"Well, I missed a day. There goes my perfect month of yoga. Won't matter if I miss another day. Or another...I'll just pretend I never made the promise in the first place. I may as well just burn my yoga mat. Get rid of the evidence."

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pretend that I had made that promise. That's always there.

The logic gets so crazy in those moments. I mean, who am I hiding from? Myself. The side of myself that wants to be better. And when I break my word to myself I'm only indulging the side of myself that's okay with being complacent. But that is not the game I'm up to. I'm not okay with complacency.

That doesn't mean that I expect to be perfect. That just means that no matter how many times I break my word, I'll keep going back to the mat, so to speak.

Yesterday I could feel my body calling out for Downward Facing Dog. It wanted to be stretched. Lengthened. So I re-committed. I realize there remains only a few more days in the month. But no matter. It's not over. Every day counts.

So last night at 10:52 PM, I got back on the yoga mat again. It felt great. The yoga felt physically energizing (my body was literally buzzing all over after) but also emotionally invigorating. Because I did what I said I was going to do.

On a somewhat related note in the world of March Madness, who isn't inspired by VCU's road to the Final Four?! As Coach Shaka Smart said after their win last night, "Anything is possible."

VCU Reaches 2011 Final Four Thanks to Dominance, Not Luck - SB Nation