Running is my yoga




 
I took a deep breath, relaxed my shoulders and got into a rhythm. My heart beat normalized and my nerves eased. 

I passed a fountain and the sound of water gurgling sent a warm fuzzy feeling. I smiled despite the heat. I took another deep breath this time taking in the fragrance of the red roses. Never before have they smelt so good. I felt no pain, no stress. It was just me, myself and my strides. 

Round and round, I circled the Stanford campus, whizzing past the palm trees and the football fields. Never before have they appeared so green and livid as they glistened in the summer heat. 

I ran past cars and cyclists. All I could hear was my breathing.  I seemed to be gliding effortlessly and smoothly. My watch buzzed but I paid no heed to it. I seemed to be in a trance, intoxicated by an unknown force today that made my run so enjoyable. It was 4:00 pm in the afternoon and not the ideal condition to run. Yet it didn’t deter my spirits. My deep breathing reaffirmed my faith in myself to keep going. There was no music, no inner demons. It was just my arms and feet synchronized in a rhythm that I found inexplicable today. The flush of endorphins kicked in as I finished the last lap. 

Never before have I felt so good. Yes some days it’s about just going for a run to detox your mind and ease those blues.  Running is therapeutic.

 In fact I would call running my yoga!

 Happy international yoga day!

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