The second fourth of the book talked about treating the body as temple according to kaya sadhana which refers to using the body as a means for change. This, as opposed to how I normally perceive yoga and other exercises, is very different from using exercise to change the body itself. It wasn't until I got to college that I realized I could grow spiritually through my body. It's a sacred temple which I should revere and respect, especially because it is a house for my delicate soul. I find comfort in the fact that despite how my body wears and tears over the course of my life, my soul and spirit will be constant. Hopefully they will be growing positively, but the point is that they don't age or weaken like my body inevitably shall. Nevertheless, I must try to my utmost to keep my body running well in a state of healthfulness partly out of respect for my soul, but also because I'll experience life to the fullest if I am physically well. I think this is different for everyone, simply because we're all different. For me, being kind to myself includes getting 7-9 hours of sleep. I can function well enough on less than that, but there's a noticeable difference in my ability to focus and my eating habits are pretty poor when it's day 2 or 3 of 5 hours of sleep. I also eat a lot of fruits and vegetables because I really like the taste and the juiciness. When I'm traveling or for whatever reason don't have some fruit and/or veggies for more than a day or two, I feel groggy and insatiably thirsty, even if I am drinking a lot of water. I've learned that my body requires a lot of downtime, which I'm usually not willing to give it, thanks to my Type A tendencies. As a result, I do my best to take a 30-45 minute nap everyday since I have a hard time "doing nothing," that is, sitting up and letting myself be. I feel best when the aforementioned things are happening in my favor.
Yoga works wonders for people who are mental wanderers. I used to, and still do but less frequently, let my mind wander off in conversation, in class, basically anytime. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with daydreaming, but life isn't meant for us to tune out, or stare the clock down wishing minutes and days away...As Sell said, "Like pearls strung together to make a beautiful necklace, the moments we stay conscious and present will string together to form our lives and our practices." I get a lot more out of my day when I am intentional about being happy/mentally present wherever I am. If I may be a little morbid, I'm not guaranteed every day, and so I have to take advantage of what God has given to me. For example, I took biology my freshman year here, and I would zone out nearly every class period. I ended up getting a less than stellar grade in the class, and I can partly attribute that to my mental check out. It was really disrespectful of me to let that continue to happen that way. I wasn't giving my professor credit, and I wasn't doing myself any favors by missing out on the lecture. Turning it back to yoga, I have to be fully engaged in practicing yoga - making sure my alignment is right, my ribs are pulled back, buttock flesh down, and that I'm taking steady breaths. It's a lot! but it pays dividends. Once I cultivated the skill of multitasking (for lack of a better word) in my yoga sessions, it was easier to be present when listening to my friends in conversation, and eventually listen better in my classes.
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