“I thought about different themes for today’s class. I considered celebrating the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. since many of you are off-work today. Then I decided no. We’re still going to celebrate, though. Please get in a comfortable seated position on your mat for today’s practice.”
I hate yoga.
The Good Lord knows I’ve tried to embrace my inner-yogini.
To no avail.
I like the concept of Vinyasa. The fast-paced, fitness- forward mission. The practice based around gratitude and not giving in to resistance and physical pain. I revel in the strength and vitality I feel after the last “Om.”
I love the Shavasana. The way I breathe fully and deeply for two days afterwards, despite my asthma.
But I still find yoga boring as hell.
So when our instructor Mark began class by going against history, I totally got it.
He wasn’t disrespecting the MLK holiday, in any way, shape or form.
Quite the contrary.
Mark encouraged us to find our power, strength, valor, and smiles while our bodies screamed “Stop!” He referenced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on a few occasions, though he intended not to.
In that moment, I loved yoga.
It reminded me that we can’t force anything.
(Not that any mat exercise could ever compare to fighting The Man, racism, and murder)
In that umpteenth downward dog, I reflected how gratitude will never be manufactured just because our government declares a national holiday.
Same thing goes for mental wellness.
Yelling “Stop being anxious!” did not bring calm – no matter how many times your parents, teachers, friends, and significant others tried to force your Zen during childhood.
The racing thoughts failed to cease even when they lovingly whispered, “Relax. It’s all in your head.”
Because it’s not about them.
It’s about you.
And you can’t feel the energy of a glorious, awe-inspiring speech at Lincoln Memorial if your heart’s not in it.
Just as you didn’t meet up with compassion when the “I Have A Dream” speech was thrust upon you in middle because your hormones dictated otherwise.
But you can find something to celebrate every day.
It doesn’t have to be a ground-breaking moment frozen in history from 1963. It can be the smell of fresh coffee, or the surprising, unexpected absence of a line when you pull into the car wash on a Saturday morning.
Find something to get out of your head.
You might despise yoga.
You may secretly roll your eyes when your therapist suggests you practice gratitude to ease your anxiety.
Maybe you don’t appreciate that world leaders died in the name of your freedom.
It’s your choice.
The beauty is you can choose what to celebrate every day.
You can go with the flow, or you can define your flow.
To quote Mark:
“Or you could meet up with the alternative. You could die bitter one day.”
Quite a poignant message to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr.
What will you celebrate today?
Leave a line or two in the comments box below — you never know who’s going through the same thing as you…
If you enjoyed this mental wellness tip, please share to Facebook or Twitter.
Yours in celebration,