Does Consistency Matter?

Any day now, we’ll be half way through 2010. In honor of this approaching milestone, I read through my first post of the year. Again, just like on January 3, I must confess that consistency is still not my forte.

I have mixed feelings about my lack of consistency. On the one hand, consistency gets touted as the backbone of yoga. Many of the rewards and realizations I’ve experienced from yoga have come from steady periods of consistent, disciplined practice. On the other hand, I’ve had lots of gaps between those periods of consistency, and each period looked a little bit different. There was the gym yoga phase, the Baron Baptiste phase, the Vinyasa phase, the short-lived hardcore Iyengar phase, and the Iyengar-ish teacher-training phase. Each phase made meaningful contributions to what I call my ten-year yoga practice.

I regularly scold myself for not being more consistent in my writing, my energy levels, and my yoga practice. Honestly, it doesn’t seem to be doing any good. Maybe it would be better to stop fighting the part of myself that seems to be cyclical by nature. It may also be helpful to replay the Tara Brach talk on wise effort that spoke to me so strongly back in January.

Would you consider yourself a consistent person? How do you feel about it?

Guru Garvey on Dealing with Depression

Those of you who have perused my baby/women's health blog have figured out something new about me: I struggle with depression. Most days it doesn't bother me at all. Some days I just move slower than others. Twice in my life now, depression has seriously hamstringed me.

Until recently, I've been reluctant to talk about my experience with depression, but lately I'm on a roll with sharing. I'm also infatuated with the empowerment that comes from real person-to-person information instead of one-way, expert-to-consumer communication.

So, let's get this party started, yoga peeps. I'll kick off by sharing what I've learned through my experience. If you struggle with depression too and have something to share, leave a comment. Do it anonymously if you're not comfortable disclosing your depression.

Here's what I've learned:

1. Medication is not a moral decision. It's up to you and your health care provider to make an informed decision about what is best for your situation and your experience.
2. Asana and meditation help. The one period in my journey through depression that I did not need to be on medication was a time when I was able to spend two hours in asana and meditation daily.
3. You are not in control. This is scary, but also liberating. As a yogi, you've probably tried all sorts of lifestyle adjustments to manage depression holistically. Even though experiments and commitments to asana, meditation, dietary changes, lifestyle changes, therapy, etc., can help, they aren't necessarily your free pass to mental health. Depression is not your fault, and despite your best efforts, you can't always will yourself out.

What have you learned? Has anyone noticed a particular group of asanas or other yogic practices that have a therpeutic effect? And you know I love words, so any recommended reading out there?

Emerging from the Rubble

Hello, dear readers. Are you all still here? I'm slowly emerging from the past three months of insanity, and today, I'm ready to step back into the blogosphere. As my cheap pink Motorolla phone says when I power it up...Namaste!

I suppose I should start by filling you in on significant new events and happenings in my life. One is that Tara Brach, yoga, and red wine, wasn't enough to get me through the unique brand of dysfunction and stress that has become my day job. I actually had a bit of a mental breakdown and am taking steps to heal the behavior patterns that landed me at rock bottom. Amidst the madness, I started a new blog called The Preconceptionist to vent the case of baby fever I seem to have caught. I turn 30 on July 8, and I'm ready to get movin'. My husband is almost on the same wavelength.

I'm not coming back today with any deep insights or lessons learned. Instead, I leave you with a profound statement from Chris Rock:

You can drive a car with your feet, but it don't mean it's a good idea.

I was able to do two people's jobs, but it certainly was not a good idea. Okay, your turn. What's been happening with you since I've been out? I'd also appreciate somebody filling me in on any major yoga happenings I've missed. Iyengar is still alive, right?