I jumped into yoga last year with great expectations of increased strength and flexibility. I also had some notion that looking inward would be a part of it. Except for the astounding stubbornness of my left hamstrings, yoga meets all of my expectations. But there have also been gorgeous and unexpected benefits.
Yesterday my smoothie blew up at work. It’s a long story and isn’t the real point today, so I’ll just warn you not to put screw top lids on smoothies if you’re going to let them sit on your desk at work all day during the summer. Another tip: if you hear hissing sounds coming from your smoothie cup, call a bomb squad. If you decide not to heed this advice, be prepared to wash your walls, your computer, and your desk. Be prepared to throw out your favorite (formerly) white sweater. Be prepared for purple, goopy imprints on everything that emerges from your printer for 24 hours. Be prepared for a purple, goopy bruise on your left shoulder. Just saying.
The point is this: When my smoothie bomb blew, my only reactions were amazement and laughter. Over and over, I said to an empty room, “This is amazing! This is amazing!” And I’m still laughing. It wasn’t till later that I realized there’s been a shift over the year in my reactions to all kinds of bombs.
If that smoothie had blown last year, I would have done a prolonged dance with no-time-for-this frustration and woe-is-me drama. I think the daily focus involved in my yoga practice makes me more permeable to the goopy feelings. They pour through me more easily than they used to. My smoothie event stuck to everything in my office except me. This is a huge, unexpected benefit of my year of practice.
Have you had unexpected benefits? I’d appreciate you sharing them. I’ll bet we’d all appreciate you sharing them.
Thanks to explosive insights, thanks to yoga for delivering so much more than I’d hoped for, and thanks to you, as always, for the conversation,
Kristin
Dr. Kristin Shepherd is a chiropractor, actor, and speaker (about All Things Wonderful) from North Bay, Ontario. Join her on Facebook at Dr. Kristin Shepherd, on the web at kristinshepherd.ca, or on Twitter at kristinonders.