According to definitions I could find, it is "...the practice of exercising patience toward behavior or situations that might not necessarily deserve it and is seen as a conscious choice to actively give patience as if a gift, rather than being in a state of oppression in which one feels obligated to act in such a way."
I am slowly but surely learning all about this on my fitness journey because patience is a virtue I've never possessed. I don't have the patience to wait for your grandmother to walk down the street at a snail's pace in front of me. I don't have the patience to wait for your stuttering child to get a sentence out. I don't have the patience for long lines, being on hold with customer service, waiting for my seven-year-old computer to load and frankly, I don't have the patience to wait for this fat, flabby body of mine to get right.
But a couple of classes at the Bodhisattva Yoga studio in Park Slope have taught me the latter: patience with my body.
I'm taking the basic class, an instructional session where you're encouraged to ask for demonstrations and request help getting into the poses, and I must admit that it's perfect for a perfectionist like me. And as the instructors explain everything we're doing, encouraging us to listen to our bodies as we gently nudge it towards working harder than it is used to, I begin to understand what patience truly is.
It is OK to take my time getting fit. I do not need to compare myself to others who've achieved rock-hard abs in 30-days or dropped so much weight after only a couple of weeks. Their journey is not my journey and my body is not their body.
All I need to do is make good food choices- eat when I'm hungry; fuel my body; walk away from processed foods-- and practice constant movement, whether it be a fitness class or scrubbing my kitchen floor. I need to indulge in sunlight and fresh air. I need to race my baby to the end of the block and take the stairs more often than not.
I've just come off a two-week break from actively exercising: no boot camp, boxing, yoga, nothing! But I continued to eat well and walk and enjoy the outdoors as much as I could in this damned muggy heat we have in New York. And guess what? I still managed to lose weight. I lost three more pounds without hitting the gym once and allowing my body to just relax and be happy, and nourishing myself with as many whole foods as possible.
And you know what else? I found my next tattoo...
I am slowly but surely learning all about this on my fitness journey because patience is a virtue I've never possessed. I don't have the patience to wait for your grandmother to walk down the street at a snail's pace in front of me. I don't have the patience to wait for your stuttering child to get a sentence out. I don't have the patience for long lines, being on hold with customer service, waiting for my seven-year-old computer to load and frankly, I don't have the patience to wait for this fat, flabby body of mine to get right.
But a couple of classes at the Bodhisattva Yoga studio in Park Slope have taught me the latter: patience with my body.
I'm taking the basic class, an instructional session where you're encouraged to ask for demonstrations and request help getting into the poses, and I must admit that it's perfect for a perfectionist like me. And as the instructors explain everything we're doing, encouraging us to listen to our bodies as we gently nudge it towards working harder than it is used to, I begin to understand what patience truly is.
It is OK to take my time getting fit. I do not need to compare myself to others who've achieved rock-hard abs in 30-days or dropped so much weight after only a couple of weeks. Their journey is not my journey and my body is not their body.
All I need to do is make good food choices- eat when I'm hungry; fuel my body; walk away from processed foods-- and practice constant movement, whether it be a fitness class or scrubbing my kitchen floor. I need to indulge in sunlight and fresh air. I need to race my baby to the end of the block and take the stairs more often than not.
I've just come off a two-week break from actively exercising: no boot camp, boxing, yoga, nothing! But I continued to eat well and walk and enjoy the outdoors as much as I could in this damned muggy heat we have in New York. And guess what? I still managed to lose weight. I lost three more pounds without hitting the gym once and allowing my body to just relax and be happy, and nourishing myself with as many whole foods as possible.
And you know what else? I found my next tattoo...
*smooches...making positive changes as often as possible*
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it's gonna be a while before I'm all "namaste" n shit, but I'm getting there :)
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