This is Why I do Yoga
I have been doing a lot of CrossFit. Three months in, I am surprised by how much I still love it. I love how the workouts change every day, I love being pushed to my physical max every time, and I especially love my gym, Rocket CrossFit in Hillman City. (I also love that a brewery is opening up next door.) I get to unleash my competitive side, sweat buckets and get stronger. It’s competitive and fun.
What about yoga, you might ask? I teach several times a week. And I practice. My body, tired, tight and sore from CrossFit, relishes yoga more than ever from a physical side. I’m still chasing a press-up handstand, although perhaps with less dedication than before CrossFit.
I also have days where I choose CrossFit over yoga. I’ve felt a wee bit of guilt at times, and have questioned my own loyalty. What kind of yoga teacher abandons yoga for CrossFit? Then I read this blog post by Danielle LaPorte. Danielle shares an experience with the Dalai Lama, who was faced with monks who had murdered other monks. The Dalai Lama said this is why we practice, when we need compassion. We practice in the good times so we have the practice when we don’t want to have to compassion or love or forgiveness. The challenging times. The worst times. This is why we practice. Her post is eloquent, and I recommend you give it a read.
I may not be on my mat as much as before. Eight years of yoga, and the practice is in my very cells. I need it as much as ever. I need the practice on the good days, and especially on the bad. And because there will always be good days and there will always be bad ones, I will always need yoga. This is why I practice.
