So, after my post yesterday about potentially quitting my 60 day challenge, I really got to thinking about it. I had already decided to go for a run in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day, pollen not seeming so bad, and the run went great! It was as if no time had passed at all since I last ran. I felt so strong and happy as I finished and at that moment I decided that I was not going to go to yoga class. I didn't want to. I wanted to continue feeling great, ride out the post run high. So, I went home. No day 41. Challenge aborted at day 40.
I am 100% OK with this though. I made it 40 days. I'm not quitting yoga all together, just quitting going everyday. Just changing it up a bit. In fact, I'm going to Bikram class today and I am happy about it.
I'm realizing that too much of anything is not good. A lesson I've learned time and time again in other facets of life but to which I continue to return. A popular Buddhist principle, the middle path, perfectly illustrates this idea:
everything in moderation. When I run too much, I am full of disdain for running and long for time to do copious amounts of yoga. When I do copious amounts of yoga, I miss running and fantasize about skipping out on yoga class. The answer is to follow the middle path. Do both, in moderation. Enjoy both.
Tune us the Sitar neither high nor low,
And we will dance away the hearts of men.
But the string too tight breaks, and the music dies.
The string too slack has no sound, and the music dies.
There is a middle way.
Tune us the Sitar neither low nor high.
And we will dance away the hearts of men.”
— An ancient song that inspired The Buddha
However, there is something to be learned from doing anything to an
extreme. You learn things about yourself and how you handle
challenges. And, of course, you eventually learn the lesson of
moderation. For doing anything to an extreme will unequivocally lead to
this realization.
Lesson learned, universe.
