Day 2: Spiritual Well-Being
Cultivating a sense of meaning and purpose inside and outside work. Aligning our work and nonwork lives with our values, goals, and interests.
Yoga and the Union of Breath and Movement
I discovered yoga approximately 25 years ago during a traditional Bikram class while visiting my family in California. As someone with “coordination challenges,” I was less than enthusiastic about contorting my body into unnatural positions to achieve some phantom benefit my sister extolled as simply “worth it.” Solely because of sibling pressure, I did it anyway.
The very Zen-looking instructor kindly advised me, as a self-identified novice, to take a spot in the corner farthest from the front (and the heat). She also let me know, “There’s nothing wrong with stepping outside the room if you get too hot or feel lightheaded.” Wise words. That 105-degree heat was crushing, and I ended up in the blissfully cooler hallway three times during the 90-minute class.
Even though I went into that first class blindly, suffered immensely, muttered complaints under my breath, and gave my sister the ultimate side-eye, I was hooked. That sweaty, humbling experience marked the beginning of my love for time on the mat. For better or for worse, I would soon become a practicing yogi.
My mat, breath, and movement have seen me through both joyful and challenging times. I have done “celebration yoga,” savoring the positive energy of movement, breath, and music to stretch a happy moment a little longer. I have taken silent vinyasa classes, where the only sound is the rhythmic Ujjayi breath of others around me as we moved through sun salutations. Some of my time on the mat, I have intentionally focused on a recent loss or disappointment and allowed the feelings to surface through the expression of the pose. This expression meets less resistance than amidst the normal din of life. And I have felt completely alone on my mat in the best way possible while still feeling connected to the community through our shared breath. That connection is inspiriting.
For me, yoga is meditation. I match movement to breath: the movement gives me focus; the breath gives me rhythm. As I flow through poses at the pace of my breath, the mental clutter falls away. In fact, yoga has become my go-to answer for almost any question life throws my way.
Bad day? Yoga.
Good day? Yoga.
Want to share my day? Yoga, lunch, and more yoga.
If you are unfamiliar or new to yoga, I truly invite you to surrender expectations to your mat and take up this breath practice. You will not regret it.
-Sarah MacGillis, Outreach Director