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crossfit
October 2009 
Mind Games
Posted on May 15th, 2009
by 
Sanieh
Sanieh
I'm finding myself becoming attracted to activities that challenge my mind. In my personal experience, it's usually through the physical, that initiates a journey that I'm not mentally prepared for. Perspective; it's so interesting. I can "yoga" with the best of them yet I know extreme athletes that would consider that extreme *suffering* any way its sliced but could smoke me with their "discipline". It's all a discipline you see (thanks, Jeff!) ... this is where I'm headed with all of this. For me, however, it's all a discipline of yoga...though its many or shall I say *any* form.
I recently shared the story in class about my new endeavor of running. I don't run far or fast (again perspective... about 3.2 miles in 36-37 min) but I'm not interested in much in this way beside eventually increasing the duration of the run (which ends of being distance etc) but more so, I'm interested in shifting the self talk and preconceived notions of belief and limiting barriers placed on and within myself.
I shared the story of running at Town Lake and how I found myself wanting to stop. So I said to myself and to my friend out loud "not until I can determine what *part* of my body *needs* to stop, am I going to stop". That statement was never about the "no pain no gain" physical mentality, I'm a yogini for goodness sakes... which MEANS I AM about putting myself in a position of pain but in the respect of creating *mental* "pain" or discomfort in an effort to challenge myself and break through the samskaras, or habitual patterns of thoughts and beliefs that have made a home in my body and with the thinker.
So I was running and scanned my body from head to toe, noticing my tiring legs, the pressure under my right rib cage, even the little twinge in my left shoulder but none of these things were impairing the run... so in that moment I said to myself "if I cannot determine what part of this body needs to stop and why, then I am going to keep on keepin' on because I know it's nothing more than the mind"... and I know the body will simply follow the mind.
I've explored running a tiny tiny bit and that was 9 or 10 years ago. Recently, I ran farther than I had since then by using this self-prescribed method that actually came to me *during* a run. So as I enter into one of my own *Transmission Yoga Programs*, I am incorporating other areas of disciplines to deepen self study, meditation and one pointed attention thus tapping deeper into my creative juices of possibilites and the power Chakra, Manipura. Disciplines that to a degree seem impossible to me, unreasonable on many levels, make me uncomfortable and perhaps most important, those that scare me.
Why would I do this? Because it's not just about the body.
Lets b honest...Do I want to look, feel and continue to BE healthy- absolultely. FULL HEALTH, is also that of the mind, heart and well-being though.
This is my reason for the run. Because it use to be so difficult for me to pick up these legs in THIS way and run. It's also the reason I do some cross fit (Big FREE event coming up June 14th at Lululemon with Crossfit, Yoga and Cardio Kickbox- total time is just 1 hour (20 min each- you can do ANYTHING for 20 minutes!) - please come out and have some fun and support this event I'm putting on with Lululemon!). I'm not interested in competing with anyone else, what I'm interested in is competing with the thinking part of my mind that has created illusions and limitations that ultimately do not serve any one of us. In those workouts of the day (WOD) that have me thinking "I can't do this", that I actually can and I don't give a damn if I finish last or where my numbers or time fall on that white board even, what I care about is putting myself in the position, having the *courage* to put myself in a position of walking into the proverbial fire of sorts and facing what I fear... and I fear it because of the self talk, the thinking and limiting mind, that convinces us at times that we don't have what it takes, that we're not good enough on whatever etc.
If I was writing this post 10 years ago, it would have been very much so about all things external- I was training hard physically and trying to look the part and was even successful at it... but then I was broken down. Today, while I it does feel good to make it into that crazy twisted and inverted arm balance on my mat preparing for the next photo shoot, or complete that run at Town Lake knowing I wanted to stop mentally but did not, or having finished the 10 rounds/sets of kettle bell thrusters to burpee-box jumps for 10, 9, 8, 7,6, 5, 4, 3, 2, then 1 sets in under 21 minutes, it's just not about THAT to me. It's about taking one step closer into union with with my highest potential, practicing what I'm preaching with this way of life that IS *living* yoga and stepping right into self study in the form of fear, facing that very things I don't think I can do.
It doesn't stop here. This is where what we call in yoga "practice", begins...
all Love
Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com
www.twitter.com/saniehyoga
(Facebook coming soon)
I recently shared the story in class about my new endeavor of running. I don't run far or fast (again perspective... about 3.2 miles in 36-37 min) but I'm not interested in much in this way beside eventually increasing the duration of the run (which ends of being distance etc) but more so, I'm interested in shifting the self talk and preconceived notions of belief and limiting barriers placed on and within myself.
I shared the story of running at Town Lake and how I found myself wanting to stop. So I said to myself and to my friend out loud "not until I can determine what *part* of my body *needs* to stop, am I going to stop". That statement was never about the "no pain no gain" physical mentality, I'm a yogini for goodness sakes... which MEANS I AM about putting myself in a position of pain but in the respect of creating *mental* "pain" or discomfort in an effort to challenge myself and break through the samskaras, or habitual patterns of thoughts and beliefs that have made a home in my body and with the thinker.
So I was running and scanned my body from head to toe, noticing my tiring legs, the pressure under my right rib cage, even the little twinge in my left shoulder but none of these things were impairing the run... so in that moment I said to myself "if I cannot determine what part of this body needs to stop and why, then I am going to keep on keepin' on because I know it's nothing more than the mind"... and I know the body will simply follow the mind.
I've explored running a tiny tiny bit and that was 9 or 10 years ago. Recently, I ran farther than I had since then by using this self-prescribed method that actually came to me *during* a run. So as I enter into one of my own *Transmission Yoga Programs*, I am incorporating other areas of disciplines to deepen self study, meditation and one pointed attention thus tapping deeper into my creative juices of possibilites and the power Chakra, Manipura. Disciplines that to a degree seem impossible to me, unreasonable on many levels, make me uncomfortable and perhaps most important, those that scare me.
Why would I do this? Because it's not just about the body.
Lets b honest...Do I want to look, feel and continue to BE healthy- absolultely. FULL HEALTH, is also that of the mind, heart and well-being though.
This is my reason for the run. Because it use to be so difficult for me to pick up these legs in THIS way and run. It's also the reason I do some cross fit (Big FREE event coming up June 14th at Lululemon with Crossfit, Yoga and Cardio Kickbox- total time is just 1 hour (20 min each- you can do ANYTHING for 20 minutes!) - please come out and have some fun and support this event I'm putting on with Lululemon!). I'm not interested in competing with anyone else, what I'm interested in is competing with the thinking part of my mind that has created illusions and limitations that ultimately do not serve any one of us. In those workouts of the day (WOD) that have me thinking "I can't do this", that I actually can and I don't give a damn if I finish last or where my numbers or time fall on that white board even, what I care about is putting myself in the position, having the *courage* to put myself in a position of walking into the proverbial fire of sorts and facing what I fear... and I fear it because of the self talk, the thinking and limiting mind, that convinces us at times that we don't have what it takes, that we're not good enough on whatever etc.
If I was writing this post 10 years ago, it would have been very much so about all things external- I was training hard physically and trying to look the part and was even successful at it... but then I was broken down. Today, while I it does feel good to make it into that crazy twisted and inverted arm balance on my mat preparing for the next photo shoot, or complete that run at Town Lake knowing I wanted to stop mentally but did not, or having finished the 10 rounds/sets of kettle bell thrusters to burpee-box jumps for 10, 9, 8, 7,6, 5, 4, 3, 2, then 1 sets in under 21 minutes, it's just not about THAT to me. It's about taking one step closer into union with with my highest potential, practicing what I'm preaching with this way of life that IS *living* yoga and stepping right into self study in the form of fear, facing that very things I don't think I can do.
It doesn't stop here. This is where what we call in yoga "practice", begins...
all Love
Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com
www.twitter.com/saniehyoga
(Facebook coming soon)
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