The last weeks have been incredibly stressful for me. Constantly reliving the decisions that I’ve made, and those that have been made for me, has kept me up nights. On many 3AM walks, I’ve gone over time and again discussions held, and conclusions reached, questioning my path and what is to come as I start moving forward.
A decade ago, I started taking hot yoga classes. There’s something about focusing all of your energy while sweating in a hot room that helped me to clear my brain. Over my work career, as a CPA, a real estate trustee and a non-profit executive, I was tethered to the work to be done. I never felt comfortable away from my cell phone, and I was paranoid when I wasn’t quick on the draw to respond to emails and communications. Like so many, as a workaholic, I identified with the work, and focused on the next project above almost all else.
As I walked into my first hot yoga class in six years, I was stressed about putting my phone on do-not-disturb for the 90-minute class. What crises would arise in that hour and a half? What would happen if a call or email came in while I was sweating it out, focused on the next pose?
The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.
— Caroline Myss
The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind
— Caroline Myss
To my surprise, my brain actually allowed me to pay attention to the movements the instructor led us through. At 10AM on a workday there was no emergency to attend to, no donor call to take nor employee in need of an immediate response. I left all outside communications with my cell phone in the cubby while I sweated puddles on my yoga mat. Somehow, my soul knew what to do to heal itself. The physical exertion combined with focus and perspiration took my mind off of issues and challenges that could wait for that 90-minutes, and well beyond.
As I start moving forward, I know I’ll have my share of issues and problems redefining what my life looks like next. Maybe I’ll need to find a 3AM hot yoga class to help silence the mind in the middle of the night, or better yet, I hope that I’ll reach a point at this stage in my life where my self-defined priorities are not the next phone call or email, but the people who truly deserve my time and attention – my family and friends.
If you, like me, are that person who can’t shut out the noise, I hope you will find a solution that works for you. Life is too short; we all need to take time for our own hot yoga class. Or you might try giving back through volunteering for a cause you believe in and help others. I plan to keep moving forward with a good dose of both!