Thursday, June 25, 2009

Horses on the Moor, Yoga in the Sports Centre


The picture is a fake as I did not take it today but it is only two days old and I thought there is always a place for a picture of a horse taking a drink of water, especially as it is near the sports centre where I go to my yoga class.

The horse is one of a number that graze freely on Boxmoor during the summer. Mostly they coexist quite happily with all the people who walk across the land or settle down for a picnic. However they are not pets and do not react well to being bothered. A couple of weeks ago a ten year old boy tried to feed them apples, spooked them and was trampled. Luckily he survived, with some broken bones, but could have been very serious indeed.

I was thus very cautious when I took this photo.

Today was yoga day and I am beginning to relax into the idea that I can't do most of the postures very well. Instead of feeling 'damn!' and trying to fight it I thought 'OK well lets see how far we can go' - a much better attitude. There were still moments where I thought that bodies weren't designed to move that way but on the whole it was easier.

I will continue both as an exercise in humility and with the hope that it will help my running. (The idea is not that it will make me faster nor will it increase my stamina, rather it should increase my range of movement and so reduce my chances of injury). Doing it as an auxiliary activity puts me in a different position to most of the people in the class, for whom yoga is far more central but, as with anything, there are many paths.

Juneathon Day 25 stats

Yoga: 90 min

3 comments:

Adele said...

Ah, lovely horse. Sluuuurrrp.

Yoga is all about seeing how far you can go, not looking at how far anyone else goes, so that's the right approach I think.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful horse!! I haven't seen that breed in such a color. I love horses, so expect over-enthusiastic comments from me when you have pictures of them.

Unknown said...

that is a much better attitude. The TV yoga teacher Steve Ross says to let go of all "goal orientation" and make Yoga about breathing. The rest will come with time.
Great horse photo!! I don't see that in Florida!
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