Tuesday, April 19, 2011

BYoga and the Academy Experience

Today at yoga, I accomplished the most incredible thing. I did not touch my face. Through the ENTIRE 90 minute class! You may not think this is a big deal. Well you, my friend, have never done hot yoga. Imagine, if you will, being waterboarded by your own sweat. Feeling it sting your eyeballs and roll into your nose as you're bending over, trying sandwich your face into your shins. You learn pretty intense focus doing Bikrum-&-coke because the instructors constantly tell you to "practice stillness in between postures focusing on your breath with no fidgeting, wiping sweat, burping or other bodily movements" (BY Houston). That's right guys, no farting in yoga. At least not between postures.

Don't do it, man. Don't do it.




Yoga class sometimes takes me back to the Academy days. It takes me back to standing out on the parade field at 4:30pm on a Friday, sweating my butt off at the position of attention (head erect, eyes in the boat, chin in, shoulders back, etc. etc. it sucks) waiting for the band to play the music that meant drill was over (Bingo!). It takes me back to morning PT as a swab, doing those terrible multi-planar lunges waiting for the demonic 2/c to tell us to recover. It takes me back to marching tours (whoops, don't get an alcohol offense as a 4/c!) carrying my rifle back and forth through the old quad, waiting for the quarterdeck watchstander to tell me my hour is up. Or in one case, to tell me that some upperclass saw me talking to the other guy doing a marching tour and that we'd have to come back and march again tomorrow.

Xiaobin- demonstrating proper POA when you've busted both your knees playing rugby and you're stuck in a wheelchair until further notice. 


Yoga takes me back to the times where it was my job to stand perfectly still (or march like a perfect robot) and try to forget about the fly that just landed on my nose or the fact that my entire body itches because the drill uniform is made of goat hair or something. It's about structure and discipline and finding your happy place as you wait for it all to end.

Oh college. 

2 comments:

  1. I like this blog and so far in the two days I have read it really enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to reading tomorrow.

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  2. Well, I can tell that I would have some trouble as you can't have outside body noises or movements. Lol. Keep up the good work, Macky!

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