BALANCE, Yoga Practice Off The Mat! [Part 2]
Awareness! How can you achieve it when you thought you already had it?
It’s not simple… Mindfulness has become the core of my yoga practice on and off the mat, and balance is the ingredient that makes everything a little bit more easy (or complicated if you can’t put it into practice). Let me tell you a short story.
I started my driving lessons a few months ago. I haven’t practiced as much as I wanted but I’m doing it at least twice per month. To be honest, it’s taking me ages to feel comfortable driving a car. (Although it doesn’t look like it in the picture below) 😛
When you’re taking driving lessons (or just practicing with somebody else help) you notice that every action you perform requires Balance. It’s like another type of yoga but in a car. For example, you need to learn how to move the manoeuvre maintaining good position (not too much to the right, not too much to the left). You also need to change gears very often, and you can’t change from 4th gear to 3rd if you haven’t matched the right speed. You always need to be aware of all the details around you, lights, people, bikes, etc. It’s overwhelming to pay attention to everything when you’re learning to control the car! Multitasking and relaxation become crucial to succeed (even when you’re not driving). I’m afraid I’m still in the process, I can’t completely relax and drive safely. Sometimes I hate the gears and I wish I didn’t have a manual car but it is what it is, and now I have to embrace it… like anything else in life.
I know people say that after some time, you learn how to drive without even thinking about it. That’s wonderful, your mind takes control of things like an automatic pilot. However, this experience teaches me once again that yoga exercises happen quite a lot in our daily life (in many ways). We just need to pay attention to them and built awareness. Acquiring good balance will come as a result if we keep practicing and gaining experience in every aspect of our life.
Yoga exercises off the mat are now my new routine!