I'm a yoga dabbler. I took a class about six years ago, bought some DVDs and have maintained a mostly sporadic practice. The cool thing I've learned from yoga--besides to touch my toes--is how to create a sense of quiet on the inside. When you give your body a set of tasks to accomplish that requires some concentration, it pushes the litany of mental chatter out of the way.
This time last year, I was pretty actively pursuing the meditation part of yoga through the Christian practice of contemplative prayer. But life sort of got in the way, and I lost the discipline.
One of my goals for 2008 is to develop a consistent practice. In anticipation of that, tonight I went to the yoga class at the gym. In my mind, I thought it would be soothing music and flowing vinyasas. But, this is the gym. It was really, REALLY hard.
So, tonight, before bed, I'll be popping advil. Namaste.