Yoga

I was gently reminded this morning of a glaring omission to yesterdays recap of February's 'no beer' test. Seems I forgot to add the inclusion of Yoga to the results summary. And so I sit in child's pose, corrected. Although I am not entirely convinced that two weeks (four sessions) are the main contributor to the weight loss, this practice always illustrates to me the beauty of balance. Or more precisely, the importance of the extremes. You know the ones:

Hard~Easy
Fast~Slow
High~Low
Long~Short
Work~Rest
Aware~Asleep
Expanding~Constricting
Yes~No

For every high intensity, max out, grind your teeth or scream hill repeat, we need the opposite calm, restorative, healing, still and quiet refresh. The morning sun knows this and gladly gives way to the moon after a day of light. Opposites. Extremes. Poles. A one or a zero. Apex and antapex, altitude and azimuth. Winning doesn't taste as sweet without first losing a little.

Our neuromuscular high-cadence spinning provides a valuable mind-body connection to allow, with time and practice, the addition of torque in the form of power to the pedals. Once this speed concept is mastered, adding the musculature of resistance (or gears) creates a complex and dynamic combination, riding inside or out. It's the opposite nature of these two that meet in the middle to forge the alchemy of power. Fast AND strong.

Equals powerful. As a result of the focus and practice of the extremes. Yoga provides this. The yin to our yang, the inner to our outer and the calm to our tempest. The Samurai knew this. The Ninja knew. The Yogis knew. Lance, Macca, Chrissy, The Tarahumara know.

Or, as ABC could have scripted it, 'Yoga allows us the thrill of victory by tasting the agony of defeat.'

Stretch well, breathe deep, relax, let go. We'll go hard tomorrow, guaranteed.

Pix: Sunset in Hawaii is OK by me, as is a December full moon over the Olympics.