Our Optimum Health

Two years ago I started doing something I thought I could never do: I started running. At first it was terrible. In elementary school I could never finish laps around the gym. In high school I was twenty five pounds overweight. The last time I remembered running was as an eight year old girl on the playground and even then I hated it. So why start? It was something I thought I could never do, and I had to prove myself wrong. At the time that I started running I was in a tough spot in my life. Nothing was going right and I was living somewhere I needed to leave but I didn't think I had the strength to do it. I didn't even have the courage. I read a quote somewhere by a buddhist monk who said "love what you most despise...love what is repulsive to you." That day I bought my first pair of running sneakers.
The first day of my routine I got up at five in the morning and jogged for one minute through the South Bronx, then I walked, then I jogged, then I walked and so on. I felt useless. The next day I got up again. Just waking up and putting on my sneakers proved a lot to me about myself and my abilities to change my circumstances. Every day that I ran I got better and stronger and more courageous. In January 2011 on New Year's Eve, I signed up for the Midnight Marathon through Central Park. It's a four mile marathon to ring in the new year. I went alone in my sweats and the tee shirt they hand out and my number pinned proudly on my front. I still couldn't run far but I ran and walked the mini-marathon. Two months later I moved out of the Bronx. One month after that I began yoga, another thing I thought I could never do.
I always hear people talk about the oxygen bags on airplanes and how before you put the oxygen over your child's mouth you must first put it over your own. This is because you must save yourself in order to save your child. Taking care of myself physically, emotionally and spiritually is a daily challenge. Our culture is always on the go and it's easy to get lost in it all. Yoga and running both bring me to an internal place. They are both meditative and transforming.
Summer is a good time to start to make small changes. It's warm out, the flowers are in bloom and we can't escape ourselves. It's also more difficult to escape the things which repulse us. Instead of escaping this summer why don't we grab a hold of what scares us and start loving what we most despise. This is my challenge to you this month. Put on some running sneakers...run through the park...then join us for some yoga.

Experience the Joy of Summer Practice Yoga in Prospect Park with YogaSole FREE Summer Yoga in Prospect Park (Meet under the Big Trees) Sunday Mornings 10am - 11am Dates: Sundays in July (1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th) All levels *Beginners Most Welcome  Invite your Friends, Family & Neighbors ***Bring your Mat***  In this class, students will explore their strength and flexibility through a flow series of postures that incorporates twists, balancing, and some inversion. We will exploring the body's subtleties, celebrate and honor our connection to the natural world. Build your endurance through breath, deepen your stretches, and increase self-awareness.   Where Enter at the Bartel Pritchard Lot, 15th St. (adjacent to 15th St F train station). Just across from the Pavilion Movie Theater. Walk straight ahead, down the drive. You will come to the main loop. Gaze slightly to the left. We will practice under the big trees. See you there.