You know, I’ve always been intrigued by yoga, maybe because it’s a method of getting fit that also has philosophical underpinnings, thus connecting body and mind in the pursuit of personal betterment. Plus, it’s just such a calm way of exercising. Having grown up male in a very a conventional small town in Texas, a very macho part of the United States, I was raised to believe that physical fitness had to be aggressive and exaggerated to be effective. In other words, the exerciser had to move hard and fast and work up a tremendous sweat to be doing anything of any value. Yoga, it seems, challenges those assumptions about what exercise is and can be.
I think the mistake that many people make today, especially those living in many parts of North America, is to see physical activity as something that’s done only at the gym and after work. For years now, I’ve been looking for ways to become more physical all throughout the day, in every aspect of my life, even when I’m at work, which involves a lot of sitting around. The goal was to make exercise part of who I am as a person and not some special activity I do once I finish all the really “important” stuff required of me while I’m earning money. One way I’ve achieved this is by living carless for most of the last decade and a half. Anyway, that was a bit of a long journey to come to the following point: This video shows yoga moves that can be done in the office during the hours of 9 to 5.
OK, I’m sold. I’m going to have a look at some of the Tara Stiles videos on YouTube. Then, next fall, once I return to Cairo after my upcoming summer holiday, I’ll find a nice yoga class–there are lots of them available in this part of the city–and get with it.
