Deep breath in, hold it in for a few seconds…and just let it go.  Congrats, you just completed the first step of meditation and focusing on the only thing we have, the present moment.  So much easier said than done in the world we live in today where the past can hold us back and the future scare us to death.  I think it’s something that many of us struggle with, myself included.

Speaking of struggling, this month has been tough maintaining the motivation I had earlier in the year to keep up with this blog.  I keep telling myself to write but something would come up and I would push it to later.  Shout out to a friend that texted me asking what happened to my weekly posts….sometimes you just need a little kick in the butt to get the engines running again.

I’ve had this blog post saved on my laptop for over a month and just wanted to share my experience and thoughts on two activities that have become staples in my workout routine, yoga and swimming.  I vaguely remember taking my first yoga class at a 24 hour fitness about 10 years ago and thinking ‘what the heck is this, this is not for me.’  After giving it a few more tries I decided to stick with lifting weights.

When dealing with the many daily stressors of life began to overwhelm me a few years ago, I decided to give it another shot and return to my mat.  Maybe it was the instructor or my change in perspective since the last time I stepped on my mat but I started to feel the benefits everyone was raving about.  Centering myself on the breath and letting it guide me through class brought a sense of calm and peace within I had rarely felt in my life.  I was not only getting a really good workout and stretch but it allowed me to stop thinking about everything that was going on in my life and just be present.  I hope to continue practicing as long as my body allows.

The second exercise I’ve really come to enjoy is swimming.  Like yoga, its main component is focused on the breath.  When I first started swimming about 7-8 years ago, I had no idea how to properly breathe underwater, holding my breath and then trying to breathe when I came up for air.  It took a lot of practice and a failed first triathlon swim for me to learn the basics of breathing underwater and sucking in air when you turn your head.  Since then I’ve gotten more and more used to open water swims and actually look forward to the swim leg of triathlons.

Both activities are known to have more restorative benefits as opposed to the growth benefits that lifting weights gives you.  There is also less of a competitive mindset of you vs. the competition but more of a you vs. you mentality.  In yoga, you’re not comparing your poses or progress to someone else but focusing on your own practice and journey.  When you’re in the water, it’s about you and finding that breathing rhythm that pushes you to focus on the task at hand.

QOTP: “Yoga takes you into the present moment the only where life exists. Inhale the future, exhale the past” –unknown