Today for my three mile run I jogged down residential streets in Beverly Hills. (See photo of silver fire hydrant - is there anywhere else in the world where they feel the need to paint their fire hydrants silver?) As I was jogging along a feeling of contentment steadily rose from within, and I recalled a concept that came up in yesterday's yoga class.
The concept of Pratipaksa Bhavanam arose often during my yoga teacher training and I always found it rather annoying. It reminds me of the book The Secret. The Secret annoys me because I feel like it gives a flimsy prescription for major life dilemmas - and presents itself as a complete answer. To feel something negative, then just try to swap it out for something positive in order to avoid attracting more negative just seems wimpy (and often frustratingly impossible). Why do we need to constantly judge whether what's happening is good or bad? Why can't we work towards an overall sense of acceptance of all that happens in the human experience instead of attempting to mentally control and manipulate everything to suit our moods?
But then it struck me that this choice to train for a marathon is an act of Pratipaksa Bhavanam in and of itself. Life was feeling kind of sucky so it seemed like a good idea to do something different, something opposite, in order to feel better - feel more alive. Just instead of trying to cultivate opposite thoughts, I've chosen to physicalize this attempt at positive change and the result, so far, has been an overall improvement of mood, a more sunshiny outlook. So maybe that's what any new choice in life is about... taking different action so we don't become living examples of the definition of insanity.
Now I have two days off training. Going to Park City for the end of Sundance. Then back at it Sunday with my first "long run": 6 miles. Dude.
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