Guest Author - Cathy Brownfield
“I don’t know if I’m coming or going! I can’t remember what day it is. I have to keep a list of everything I need to do each day. Take time for myself? Like I could!”
Does that sound like something you’ve said? Or maybe you’ve heard a friend say words to that effect.
We find time to do the things that are important to us. One of the things that should be important to us is our personal health and well-being. One can spend a lifetime looking after everyone else, and not take care of the self.
“I’d like to go to a gym and work out, but I don’t have time. There’s just never enough time!”
Before you frazzle, STOP. Take a breath…or two or three. Deep breaths. Deep, cleansing breaths. Now, pour a cup of tea or your favorite beverage. Sit down. Put up your feet. Just sit and think about nothing but how good that cup of tea tastes, how the warmth spreads through you and you don’t have to rush to do anything. Enjoy that cup of tea and don’t let anything interrupt you. If the phone rings, let it go to the answering machine or just let it go. Ignore it. If it’s important they’ll call back or leave a message. Enjoy this moment that is yours alone. All yours. Shake everything else free of you. Just relax your muscles from your toes to the roots of your hair. Clear your mind of everything.
Concentrate on your breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth, steady in, steady out. That’s all you need to think about: steady in, steady out. Close your eyes. Steady in and steady out. If you let anything in, let it be peaceful and tranquil thoughts or images…like the white, cottony clouds floating overhead on a summer afternoon. Relax. Just breathe…in, out.
Stand up and distribute your weight on both feet to balance yourself. Reach above your head and stretch as far as you can stretch. You should feel energy all the way to the tips of your fingers. Stretch your fingers, too, and bring your arms down to your sides, stretching as far out as you can stretch. Raise your arms again, stretching as far as you can stretch. Breathe in as you reach up; breathe out as you bring your arms back down. Don’t rush. Take your time, but stretch. Repeat several times.
How do you feel? It’s not a religious experience. It’s a matter of bringing mind, body and spirit into balance. And you’ve just been introduced to the practice of yoga. You may be past age 50, but you aren’t too old to begin yoga. You don’t have to tie yourself up in knots. You can do this. In fact, starting yoga now, in your golden years, can help other health conditions. People have been known to correct their conditions enough that they don’t need pharmaceuticals. (Don’t stop using medications without discussing the issue with your physician and finding out if it’s OK for you to do any physical program.)
Yoga is a philosophy. By bringing mind, body and soul into balance, you will relax. In relaxing, you will be better able to handle the stresses in your life.
