I’m usually drunk when I blog…so this is odd.
I broke my tailbone playing hockey when I was 40. As a result, I stopped working out. I quite quickly puffed up to 265 pounds. I’ve never owned a gym membership (I swear). All my exercise (I had to look up how to spell that word) revolved around activities that incorporated drinking: before, during or after.
If you’ve ever tried to fix a broken tailbone you’ll understand why I was desperate to find a solution. I tried everything. I was on the verge of looking for someone that would go up my ass and adjust my broken tailbone from inside my anus. Everyone that I went to for help suggested yoga. My wife had some DVD’s that she would throw on occasionally in the basement to follow along with. I thought I would try it. Did I mention that I was considering having someone insert a digit or two up my ass and adjust my tailbone from inside my ANUS – I was in so much discomfort?!?!
I started doing yoga slowly and would follow these tapes a couple of times a week. My favorite tape…pure and simple yoga with Eoin Finn. I did the beginner level on that tape for a couple of years. I got stronger and added days to my routine. After a couple of years, I got brave and started going to a studio close to where we lived in St. Albert. For two or three years before Covid I was buying an annual pass and going 3 to 5 times a week. For the last couple of years, I went back to practicing at home.
I was ten + years in and I wanted to see if I could do yoga every day for an entire year. 2022 was my year. I turn 53 this month. I still drink too much. I still have anger issues. Things still hurt. Too many yamas and niyames annoy me. And I would never tell you that you must do yoga. But I was surprised by the support and how many people reached out to me over the year. I also triggered a few dudes with my shirtless posts…that’s another conversation #notcomfortablewithmysexualityDan!
I decided to go with the daily posts to keep myself honest. I would have been able to do it without posting daily, but it helped a bit. My family suggested that I blog about this past year. I would never tell you how to live your life and I try hard not to judge people for how they navigate the world we live in. AND I think there’s too many people that think they have the answers. BUT I will say this…try to find something that gets you moving. AND find YOUR thing…it might not be yoga.
My last piece of advice…don’t make it bigger than it needs to be. I did yoga everyday for a year, but I didn’t do 3 hours of a yoga a day…some days I just did 30-35 minutes. Thank you for the encouragement this past year…it helped. I’ve decided to keep going (sans the daily post). My next goal is to do yoga every day until I’m 60. So, you know…I never found anyone that goes up your ass to adjust tailbones.
As you can tell I’m not your typical yogi. But I do have a mantra I say in my head at the end of my practice. Here it is…
BREATH 1: My mind is clear, quiet, and focused.
BREATH 2: I will listen, learn, and observe.
BREATH 3: I will live without pain, judgement, and fear.
NAMASTE my friends!
Loc’r
