I grew up in a fairly strict Christian home. We didn't do witches at Halloween (sometime I keep still). We didn't do Santa at Christmas (again, we hold that). We also didn't do yoga, because it tied into other religions and mysticism.
The yoga, I struggled with. I saw a couple of looney people doing stretches and trying to get me to see with some crazy eye. They wanted me to connect my body and breathing with tranquility in my mind and soul. Although I didn't understand half of it, I understood that it didn't line up with God's teaching and the Bible. I still struggled with it. I was told that there shouldn't be this connection. I was told to keep the spirit in one lane and my body in another. Or at least, that's what I took from it all. I was pretty confused. In the twentieth century a great deal changed in the medical field. Some things were accepted readily as science - wonderful new processes, theories, practices, you name it- that will advance the world forward. Other things were looked at as cooky, crazy, granola, and more. Depending on who was doing the observing, these feelings swayed back and forth. And although we may not all agree on one avenue, the twenty-first century has learned that there are multiple ways to provide well being for us all. One thing I'm finding is that the connection of mind and body are not nearly as separated as our parents thought. Right now I find myself in a terrible battle. I need for my foot to heal - this is done best by resting, elevating the foot, and staying off of it. However, when I do that, I become anxious and find myself eating more. I find weight gain to be inevitable. Those combine to feed into my depression. The best management for my depression these days is a nice brisk run, maybe a good lift after or some boxing thrown in. Yup. I need high intensity exercise to combat the depression. What I cannot do. And so, the cycle continues. I spiral downward. So maybe I stop eating as much. Maybe I knit more, write more, or snuggle more. These things can ease the anxiety. But the truth is, I need to learn to sit in contentment of this doctor prescribed rest. And I suppose if I wasn't dealing with a freezer dying, classes beginning, crazy schedules, and all that other stuff, I might do better with containing my anxiety to a low hum. But those issues don't go away because I need to sit down. Deadlines don't pass because I need to lay down. So, I continue. The cycle continues. I'll leave you with the line I used when I taught high school health classes. This comes from Miss Elle Woods of Legally Blonde. "Everyone knows that fitness brings endorphins and endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't kill people."
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May 2023
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