I started doing yoga years ago in my 30s. I was lucky enough to be dating a woman who was a yoga teacher. I got the best possible instruction. I remember the first time I went to class, I was the oldest person there. For some reason this is a recurring theme in my life. I always seem to be the oldest person in the group.
As I was trying to effect the various postures I remember feeling frustrated looking at my younger more limber classmates who seemed to effortlessly fall into the positions.
There were two things that happened that I will never forget from that first yoga class. The first was the magnificent feeling I had after our ‘relaxation period’ at the end. All my tensions from the day just washed away. I felt wonderfully physically and mentally alive and alert.
The second was that I remember saying to someone that I “wasn’t very good at it.”
A person within earshot assured me that yoga was a totally individual experience and there was no point in comparing myself to anyone else in the class. Each person had their own experience and their own growth.
I always loved that about yoga. That it was totally personal and one progressed at one’s own speed and experienced benefits that were also totally personal.
For that reason, I was stunned to read in the Wall Street Journal that there are national championships being held in New York. My first reaction was “leave it to a bunch of A-type New Yorkers to screw up yoga.”
But, it seems that while the competition is indeed in New York, the person behind it is Rajashree Choudhury. She is quoted in The Journal as saying that there has been competitive yoga in her country for more than a century. “In India, competition is a very, very old matter,” she says. “I was champion from 1979 to 1984! Think of that!”
So, I guess I have to amend my initial reaction to “leave it to an A-type Indian to screw up yoga.”
I did yoga daily for years and benefited in dozens of ways, particularly toward physical and mental balance. It is both calming and strengthening. I still practice it irregularly now and always feel refreshed as a result. Learning to control my breathing was a lifelong benefit. I still can evaporate stress with some deep breathing.
If you are looking for a very healthy pursuit, no matter what your age, you will have a hard time finding one more beneficial than yoga. I honestly believe that yoga will benefit every cell in your body.
Maybe I am crazy, but I can’t imagine a worse waste of time than to do it competitively.
Tony
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