om body
Finding balance
Meanwhile, I deepened my yoga practice. Not to be ‘better’ or to strike
more photogenic poses, though sometimes it was a temptation, but
because of the peace it gives me and the energy to deal with what
life throws at me, as well as the calmness of mind to appreciate the
beauty of daily existence. Armstrong too has become ‘a yoga fanatic’;
when I interviewed her, she said she is drawn to it because of “the
mental balance it brings, and for the way it is slowly teaching me to
be less competitive”. As I write now, I appreciate the billowing clouds
forming above the mountains outside my window; the violent greens
and yellows of the dandelion-studded meadows in the valley; the easy
gait of the Holsteins swaying up the road to new pastures above my
house – and all because yoga teaches us to exist in the present. Pain
comes from the way we interact with time: memory (or smrti) tugs and
nags our emotions, whilst anticipation of the future causes anxiety in
the present. How often are we actually in the here and now?
In the moment
I should stress at this point that this is not an article that is critical
of running itself: it can be an excellent form of exercise in terms
of cardiovascular fitness. Some of my heroines, like Liz McColgan
and Paula Radcliffe, are runners, and I love watching the long-
distance running in the Olympics. Rather, it is an article about how
we approach running and why we do it. What is vital is to be in the
present if and when you run – not to imagine the cheering on the
finish line even before you start the race, nor to imagine all the ways
in which you might fail, but to be in the moment.
I met the yoga photographer Elad Itzkin recently who asked me
why I’d stopped running.
“Because I was always setting myself goals, always putting
unrealistic pressure on myself.”
“So focus on the present in your running,” he said. “You might find,
ironically, that you become a better runner.”
And I thought, yes, why not? So, in the last couple of months I’ve
restarted running. Not regularly, not often – and I don’t beat myself up
about that. I run when I feel like it. Sometimes barefoot. Often taking
breaks to admire the view, do sun salutations, pet the dog or just catch
my breath. Maybe I’m not a faster runner, but I’m a happier runner.Soak it all up
Same with life. It takes a certain stubbornness to walk when everyone
else is running; to stop and smell the newly cut grass and feel the sun
on my face. It takes a certain stubbornness and strength not to be
pulled into a life of competition – and competition for what exactly?
Don’t let life eat you up; it should be the other way round: one
delicious, thoughtful bite at a time. That’s yoga.
So, if you go for a run today, focus on the present, on the journey
itself rather than the destination: the fresh air in your nostrils, the
rhythm of your feet, the delight in a body that works, the views
around you – and the fact that it will take you somewhere where you
can stop, strike a tree pose, and feel your physical and emotional
connection to the world around you.Zoë Plöger is CEO of pizyoga.com“So, if you go for a run today, focus on the present,
on the journey itself rather than the destination:
the fresh air in your nostrils, the rhythm of your
feet, the delight in a body that works.”