June 30th is a milestone for me. Three months ago, on the first Friday of April, I set out to write a weekly newsletter for the second quarter of the year. As of today, I’ve reached that goal.
It’s time to stop and take stock of what I want to do over the next quarter. I’ve learned that I like having the weekly deadline. I like having accountability to people on my email list, so I plan to continue for at least another three months.
Today also marks the six-month mark of doing yoga every day. I’ve had a few hiccups along the way where I’ve had to double up to make up for days missed, and I’m still two days shy of being able to check off every day in June, but I know I’ve accomplished something to be proud of.
Both Practices Are Teaching Me
I’ve learned that both weekly newsletters and daily yoga are helping my writing practice. This week I had my first planning call with my book coach. We outlined the deadlines I would be held to over the next six months.
So, the newsletters are teaching me accountability, and yoga is teaching me to discern. Through yoga, I’ve been able to discern that writing is a way for me to be in my head that doesn’t disconnect me from my heart and from my gut.
The word yoga comes from a Sanskrit word which means “to yoke” or “to unite.” In the largest sense, yoga is a mystical practice to unite the individual with the cosmos. In daily life, yoga is a practical way to increase strength and flexibility and to connect mind and body.
Avoiding Negative Wake-Up Calls
My yoga teacher often has us lower chin to chest as a symbol of the head bowing to the wisdom of the body. At other times, she has us energetically align the three wisdom centers: gut, heart, and head. I know what it feels like to be disconnected from my body.
For many years as a busy physician, I had to ignore physical needs. I ignored the need for sleep, for a healthy diet, and for exercise. I used caffeine to delay fatigue. I prioritized the needs of my patients and, as a consultant, I felt especially beholden to the needs of the colleagues who were consulting me.
Breast cancer was one way that my body got my attention. But now, I’m able to stay connected in more positive ways. For instance, I’m able to observe myself as I am writing.
A Path to Equanimity
When I begin writing, I can be resentful, sleepy, or grumpy. (I can take on any of the seven-dwarf personas, especially Happy, Doc, and Bashful. Well, I’m rarely Sneezy, and never Dopey.) I can be decidedly off balance for a number of reasons, but as I’m writing, and sometimes it takes a page or two, but eventually my body relaxes, and I feel myself take a deep breath.
Then, I can get perspective and my equanimity returns. It feels magical at times, but it’s a reliable form of magic. It just takes practice and dedication.