The Oklahoman

Practicing patience

In 2021, I resolve to take time to B-R-E-A-T-H-E and s-t-r-e-t-c-h myself

- Paula Burkes A former Oklahoman reporter, Paula Burkes shares humanistic everyday stories in her weekly blog at www.burkeschan­nelingbomb­eck.wordpress.com.

I'm not much on making, or shall we say keeping, new year's resolution­s. The last one I made was to change my earrings more often, and I failed that simple pledge.

But this year, I accepted an invitation for a 30-day online yoga journey (www. yogawithad­riene.com/ breath). I completed my 10th “practice” today, so I'm well on my way to keeping this resolution.

I like that word “practice,” because I'm far from adept at yoga.

My “yogi” is a precious young woman named Adriene, nearly three decades my junior, who can contort and hold her lovely body in innumerabl­e poses.

It'd be hysterical if someone had photograph­ed me alongside her on day one. I didn't come close to sitting on my heels or hopping to the top of the mat like she. Trying to hold a plank was killing my wrists, until I realized that I had the option of half-planks (think girl push-ups); and three-quarters through the video, I admittedly paused the streaming to see “how much longer?”

Benji, Adriene's 6-year-old blue heeler, is a nice distractio­n. When the sweet-faced pooch isn't obstructin­g his mistress' executions, he's adoringly languishin­g nearby on his own mat.

A lifelong runner, I'm struggling with yoga — a physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated thousands of years ago in ancient India.

I'm used to rushing, as fast as I can, through road races or jogs. And, I likely don't take enough time to internaliz­e my daily Upper Room Methodist devotional­s.

That's the beauty of yoga. You're held captive for the duration of the practice and hopefully, fully present — freeing your mind to unplug from all things and plug into yourself and something bigger than yourself.

I, in the first few days, learned it's better to close my eyes than cast them downward. If I choose the latter, I undoubtedl­y spot a stain on the rug, smudge on a glass, or something else unimportan­t jockeying for my attention.

According to Johns Hopkins University, yoga has a wealth of health benefits, including improving strength, balance and flexibilit­y; relieving back pain and easing arthritis symptoms; improving heart health and sleep; managing stress; and bringing energy and brighter moods.

Bring it on — especially in the wake of domestic terrorists storming our capitol. Last week, one of my friends on Facebook apologized to another friend for being distracted on Wednesday. The friend chastised her for not being more clued into the events in D.C., to which my friend responded that that day she had more important things on her mind; namely laying to rest her beloved aunt who died from COVID-19.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of yoga is training adopters to be nonjudgmen­tal, including about their own thoughts, and to be more conscious of their responses to their observatio­ns … before they react.

Don't hate. Meditate. Be great.

That's the mantra I, for one, am bringing into 2021. I invite you to join me.

Namaste.

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 ?? [IMAGE PROVIDED] ?? Yoga teacher Adriene and Benji, her 6-year-old blue heeler.
[IMAGE PROVIDED] Yoga teacher Adriene and Benji, her 6-year-old blue heeler.

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