October 12 2007 Balance

What do you think of when you hear the word balance? Do you think of trying to balance on one foot? Do you think of tightrope walkers? Do you think of the work/play balance many of us struggle with at some point in our lives? Do you think of trying to balance your time between your children and your spouse, and yourself?

I think at one time or another in my life the word balance has meant one or all of those things to me. But right now I’m struggling with a rather specific application of the word.

I like to run. It’s good exercise. It gets you outside. It’s not complicated, even I can do it! It burns calories, big time. It has a competitive side to it, that I can indulge in, or not, as my mood strikes me. And, it’s fun.

I also like Yoga. It keeps me limber. It has a mildly spiritual aspect that I can focus on or ignore, depending on my mood. It can be terribly complicated, but I’m fortunate to have amazing teachers here in Hong Kong, and if I’m patient with myself and don’t get frustrated I make progress, slowly. The classes I take make me sweat and afterwards I feel purified and clean (well after my shower anyway!). It’s non-competitive, which is good for my type-A personality. And, it’s fun.

But runners say Yoga isn’t good for you. Too much stretching can cause injuries. It’s not aerobic, so it’s not a good cross-training exercise. And many Yogis think running isn’t good for you either. It tightens your hamstrings and can cause injuries as well.

It bothers me that my two favorite physical activities seem to be at such cross-purposes with each other. Most of the time I just thumb my nose at them both. I go to yoga three times a week, lift weights and run on a treadmill twice a week, and run outside twice a week. That seems BALANCED to me, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks! But then I read an article by Jeff Galloway (the run-walk advocate that I really like. If I ever run a half marathon it will be by following his program), and he says stretching is unnecessary and causes injuries. And then I do something like I’m doing this weekend, and take a yoga workshop with 4 hours of yoga each day, and I start getting sucked into the yogic state of mind and start thinking I should drop everything else and just do yoga….

So, what’s the answer? There isn’t a good one really, except to be true to myself and what makes me happy. I don’t want to give up running. I don’t want to give up yoga. So, why should I? Its only when I stop listening to my inner voice and start letting outer doubts creep in that my BALANCE becomes shaky….

So, this afternoon I think I’ll go back to my yoga workshop and work on headstands. Then tomorrow we’ll do sessions on backbends and meditation. I’ll lift weights and get on the treadmill on Monday and Wednesday and take a Yoga class on Tuesday. On Thursday we leave for Australia and I plan to run along the harbor in Sydney as much as I can! That seems balanced to me….I think…I hope….