The (Almost) Daily Dose: MOVE, MOVE, MOVE

Peter Kirillov/Shutterstock

Peter Kirillov/Shutterstock

MOVE MOVE MOVE

MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE

MOVE

I have found many antidotes to sorrow which is a perch I seem to land on a lot these days. Thankfully, I have a lifetime of practice at accepting the sadness and still moving on and giving my best to the day and those around me. The list of things that boost my soul is long. Connecting with people. Listening to music. Reading poetry. Reading books. Reading The New Yorker. Cuddling. Laying on my back in the driveway and staring up at the sky. I do think it’s important to identify the actions that calm you or bring you back to yourself.

Exercise is at the top of the list of things that make me reasonable, sane and yes, happy. IT’S A GIFT I GIVE MYSELF. Exercise is not only tremendously healthy for your body, it’s a love note to your brain. Yes, of course, there’s science to back this up. But my personal proof is that I’ve NEVER felt bad about exercising, EVER. The breathing, the sweating, the not-thinking-about-anything but my very next pose, my next turn on the mountain, or how I have 30 seconds left at a particular pace—they all add up to a vacation from what my yoga teachers call “the monkey chatter” in my head. I promise, there are a lot of f***ing monkeys in my head.

It sucks that sometimes the best things for us feel so hard to do, especially when you need them most. I find it helpful to write exercise into my schedule. It’s likely the most important appointment of my day and I try to give it that respect. When I start wondering whether or not I should rally my tired post-work, post-commute, post-I-have-no-energy-left-whatsoever self to class or on a walk or a bike ride, I always say the following to myself: “You have never regretted moving your body. You have only regretted NOT moving it.” That seems to be an almost no-fail mantra to help me get my tush up and out.