Bikram Yoga Chadds Ford
Yoga for You
Eat your vegetables first.
In other words, complete your most challenging–and most wholesome, nourishing, vital task–first. Make it a rule.
This is a mature and fool-proof approach, which senior teacher Chris Fluck follows and advocates.
I used it daily in the corporate world, too, even though it was sometimes unappetizing.
For a while, I was Director of Sales & Marketing for a financial software provider in the Netherlands. Every day, I made a list of all my tasks. Every day, I took on the most important task–which was also usually the most difficult one, with the least certain outcome–FIRST.
My territory was the Benelux, and my work was conducted mainly in Dutch and French.
I negotiated deals with private banks and investment managers. In other languages. I wasn’t selling a physical product; I was selling intellectual property, so the contract terms weren’t straightforward.
Often, I had to find tactful ways to tell clients that they weren’t going to get exactly what they wanted, at the same time hoping to craft a story that kept them at the bargaining table.
Sometimes the larger firms had so many policies, procedures and prerequisites for deals that it took months to uncover and navigate all the obstacles.
And I drove all over the biggest cities in Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands in a stick shift. At the time I hated to drive, and I didn’t know how to drive a stick.
That particular role was beyond my qualifications at the time, and success was far from guaranteed. Every time I closed a deal, my sales targets got higher or my territory became narrower. Somehow, I knew it was worth the struggle. I learned a LOT from that job. Most importantly, I learned to identify and tackle the tasks that were most beneficial to the long-term health of the company, no matter my mood, my feelings, my fear.
I learned to find–and eat–the green vegetables on my plate first.
Your yoga practice is like that wholesome, nourishing vegetable. It’s full of wonderful stuff, and it may just happen to be an acquired taste.
So if you’re hesitating, feeling reluctant to come to class, please know that it’s NORMAL. And come to class! First.
Make it a rule 😉
Eat your veggies. First.
Dessert, in the form of distraction, procrastination, entertainment and all other forms of less-wholesome activity, will BE THERE WAITING when you are done.
You will become a happier, healthier, more mature version of your self!
How, you ask?
Use all of your creativity and ingenuity. Buy gear you like. Wear clothes you feel good in. Bring your favorite drink. Reward yourself when you are done. Make the idea of practicing as appealing as possible.- Be patient and persevere. It may take a while–more than 10 classes, maybe several months–before you begin to enjoy your yoga.
- Keep good company. Want a solid, consistent practice? Seek friendships with experienced practitioners. They usually care very deeply about yoga and the BYCF community. Ask for their help and guidance. I guarantee you’ll get it!
Take the long view. Your goal is to practice tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, 10 years from tomorrow and 30 years from tomorrow. Today’s practice is a single stitch in a large and beautiful tapestry that you will create over the years to come. So don’t worry if a 30-day challenge isn’t realistic this month. If you can only manage three or four days per week, that’s ok. Your frequency will gradually increase as you weave your practice into the fabric of your life.
Bikram Yoga Chadds Ford 