A Feeling of E x h i l e r a t i o n is a Major Effect of Stretching
Stretching creates so many feelings inside, on, and outside my body and mind and heart and soul, that its lure is irresistible to me.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but stretching, in its many forms, is one of those actions that is at once necessary to a high quality of life and, I will argue, so full of fun and fear (and then overcoming that fear) that exhilaration is merely one of the many feelings it conjures up.
Let's start with the physical body. If you have never taken a yoga class - run , don't walk - to your nearest ashram and ask about the best local place for yoga instruction. Then sign up for a class. You will never feel the same; you will feel better.
Let's continue to the mind. F Scott Fitzgerald said that being able to hold two opposing ideas in your head at the same time while still being able to creatively function was one sign of high intelligence. That takes some mental stretching, but you are likely to develop more brain power as one result.
Ah, the heart. We all know that feeling when love encourages us to stretch beyond what we thought was possible emotionally. We deepen our connections, gain a richer intimacy with loved ones, and emerge a more complete person.
Finally, the soul. I believe there's a constant tug-of-war between faith (which results in confidence) and fear (which results in cowardice). Stretching your belief system to more fully embrace faith (in yourself, in your God, in others) while respecting yet working through your fears can be one of the most liberating stretching exercises you will ever do.
One note: in the photo below, notice how a more experienced person is helping adjust a pose in one of her yoga students. So, too, in stretching of any kind, it helps (a great deal) to have a mentor. Find one.
Stretching : Life's prescription for facing your fears.
Take a deep breath and start Limbering Up !
P.S. This blog, in fact, began as an exercise in stretching. I was inspired to give blogging a try after having been a longtime reader of Poor Clio , a blog by James Edmunds.
James created the "hip" alternative newsweekly industry in southwest Louisiana (Acadiana) a generation ago with his short-lived but very influential tabloid-sized newspaper named The Spectator.
That lead to The Times of Acadiana, which later was sold to the local Gannett paper. Recently, those successors to James who created the ToA came back into the market and created a competing alternative, carrying The Independent moniker. It captures James' spirit, and I choose to view it as his legacy to Acadiana.
Stretching creates so many feelings inside, on, and outside my body and mind and heart and soul, that its lure is irresistible to me.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but stretching, in its many forms, is one of those actions that is at once necessary to a high quality of life and, I will argue, so full of fun and fear (and then overcoming that fear) that exhilaration is merely one of the many feelings it conjures up.
Let's start with the physical body. If you have never taken a yoga class - run , don't walk - to your nearest ashram and ask about the best local place for yoga instruction. Then sign up for a class. You will never feel the same; you will feel better.
Let's continue to the mind. F Scott Fitzgerald said that being able to hold two opposing ideas in your head at the same time while still being able to creatively function was one sign of high intelligence. That takes some mental stretching, but you are likely to develop more brain power as one result.
Ah, the heart. We all know that feeling when love encourages us to stretch beyond what we thought was possible emotionally. We deepen our connections, gain a richer intimacy with loved ones, and emerge a more complete person.
Finally, the soul. I believe there's a constant tug-of-war between faith (which results in confidence) and fear (which results in cowardice). Stretching your belief system to more fully embrace faith (in yourself, in your God, in others) while respecting yet working through your fears can be one of the most liberating stretching exercises you will ever do.
One note: in the photo below, notice how a more experienced person is helping adjust a pose in one of her yoga students. So, too, in stretching of any kind, it helps (a great deal) to have a mentor. Find one.
Stretching : Life's prescription for facing your fears.
Take a deep breath and start Limbering Up !
P.S. This blog, in fact, began as an exercise in stretching. I was inspired to give blogging a try after having been a longtime reader of Poor Clio , a blog by James Edmunds.
James created the "hip" alternative newsweekly industry in southwest Louisiana (Acadiana) a generation ago with his short-lived but very influential tabloid-sized newspaper named The Spectator.
That lead to The Times of Acadiana, which later was sold to the local Gannett paper. Recently, those successors to James who created the ToA came back into the market and created a competing alternative, carrying The Independent moniker. It captures James' spirit, and I choose to view it as his legacy to Acadiana.
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