Skip to main content

Shakti Journey: Day 1

 Captains Log: Day 1 

(because I'm the captain of this body. Rawr!)


So there I am, nose pressed to my pink yoga mat, beads of sweat or tears rolling down my face, plop!

What on Earth did I sign up for, I groan internally - internally because there's barely any air left in my lungs to force sounds out. 

The truth is, over the burn and ache from my unfit body is my heart yelling, You better stick to it!  For too long I've been pledging, promising, declaring that I'll start exercising, being more active, taking care of my body. Yet, years later, the most I've been able to commit to is an hour of yoga therapy per week (thanks Trishan!). As beneficial as that has been, I have to admit that my body needs more activity.  

One of the first things you'll hear when you start a new fitness programme or commit to a lifestyle change is that you need a goal, an endgame, something to work towards. Mine is fairly simple - I want to feel more comfortable in my body. Does that mean dropping 50lbs, being able to bench press 100lbs or do a minute-long plank? Nope! 

Here's the truth - I'm bipolar and on medication that makes me gain weight. To add to that I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which makes it hard to lose weight - especially from my tum-tum. So no, losing weight is not my main goal. BUT it would be great to not huff and puff JUST to put on my bra or rest for a few minutes after putting on my jeans or boots. I just want to be comfortable in ole gal, I want to know that the body I'm in is being well taken care of and loved. 

Sis has been doing a good job so far and I owe it to us to make the extra effort. When I saw Sharon Feanny's post about wanting to award scholarships to her Shakti at Home programme I knew this was a sign. Incidentally, the night before I saw her post I had sat down with my other half and we had a chat about our health then decided that we needed to get more active. I went as far as to do my measurements and actually looked at the numbers (not something I like to do because they tend to be so disappointing). There was no way I would just let that opportunity pass by so I reached out, applied and now here I am, arms throbbing, skin covered in sweat, feeling like I just made the first step to a great change. 

Right this minute my cup is full (of water), my heart is full and open and my body is ready for day 2!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Shakti Journey: What Do I Really Want?

Captains Log: Day 2 Today was significantly different from yesterday's session. Our practice was mostly based in yoga which my body has got used to after weeks of yoga therapy. It felt good to make moves my body found familiar and I was a lot more comfortable today. As fate would have it - today we were asked to think about what we want most. The list started reeling off in my head but everything seemed to boil down to just one thing - stability. My insomnia gave me a hard time to fall asleep last night so this time I decided to add my sleeping mix. I'm currently feeling so grounded and calm from the session and I can feel my pill lulling me some more. Feeling the effects is reminding me of how much I wish I could function better without al the pills and therapy and precautions. But stability in my mental and physical health isn't all I need - I need it throughout my life. Within my home, my work, my interactions with others. The crippling anxiety that I deal with on a regu...

Requiem for a Bottle

She brings him a bottle every morning. Laying it right between our sleeping forms. I hear her as she pads into my room, presenting her prize like an offering to a tiny god. I never hear her leave, never hear her walk pass in the first place. She tries to be silent, to not wake us. I pretend to still be asleep, spooning the tiny body to my left as he stirs lightly. She brings him a bottle at 7:30 am, every day without fail. It's a simple gesture that says, "I know what you need." A simple reminder that she understands his routine. And when he awakens he reaches for it, so naturally, so expectantly. One small hand curling upward, between our forms, grasping the warm, full bottle. It's a simple gesture that says, "I know you didn't forget." A simple reminder that says he trusts her to respect his routine. She brings him a bottle but always leaves it closed - just in case , so he taps my eyelids, waking me. Without opening my eyes I remove the lid a...

Playing House

Sometimes it feels like I'm playing house. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I'm still a tiny 12-year-old girl with buck teeth, fat, kinky plaits and crazy ideas of what it means to be an adult. In reality - I am so far from being that little girl. About 90lbs and 12 years away, to be frank. But as I roll out of bed, jarred awake by the shrill alarm and toddler fingers poking my eyelids, as I pad across the room in search of my glasses, wearing the same nightgown I wore as a teen, at that moment I don't feel 'big' enough to be a mom. To be responsible for another human being. Yet I am and have been for almost three years. It still comes as a shock at times to know that 'mom will do it' means me . I'll do it. That the tiny voice roaming through the house yelling for MOMMMY  is really searching for me . At times the reality of it seems so absurd I completely detach from it. I instinctively want to turn to my  mom, a more adulty adult, to take over. ...