Today was one of the perfect run days. The days you go out and expect to drag yourself around and instead are pleasantly surprised by a fluid body, light legs and smooth breathing. Running and yoga both share the same concept of impermanence; things never stay the same. You can get on your mat one day and move like liquid and other days, your legs feel like lead. But as the prophet Nike says, ” Just do it.” Find the energy to move inertia and once you get moving, things start to shift.
I never thought I’d be a morning runner. I’m actually not a morning person. My father used to call me “Lucy ” ( from the Charlie Brown comic strip) at breakfast because I was so grumpy in the morning. But through a regular yoga practice that sometimes takes place in the morning, I’ve learned to shift my perspective and recently I started running at 6 am just to be sure I can get in my daily runs. I’ve found the time to be invaluable for setting a wonderful tone to my day. It’s peaceful, meditative, brings me in touch with nature ( I run around the river and regularly see ducks, dogs and birds). It’s amazing how I used to think I never had the time to run in the morning and really, all I needed to do was get up one 1/2 hour earlier, and it works. And the benefits to my overall health and wellness are enormous.
What’s a health habit that you have developed or that you’d like to develop? What’s stopping you? Time? Money? Lack of knowledge? Maybe today’s the day to make a change.