An annoying habit of mine is that I am very aware of time, well, most of the time (heh heh). I am pretty good at guessing exactly what time it is without having seen a clock in a while and punctuality is my thing. This all sounds pretty good, no? Well it can be a pain when time is not something I should be focused on other things, like yoga.
I love yoga. My body responds so well to the time I spend in class and most of the time my brain benefits as well. But if my eyes catch a glimpse of the clock on the wall I am doomed. I become obsessed with it. Keep in mind I am having I am enjoying myself in class but my brain just won't let me quit doing the clock math. Soon enough I am checking the clock after each pose. For what? I don't know. I mean I doubt all that much has happened to the clock since I was in crow pose. But I can't help myself my eyes will just naturally go there.
This week I made a vow not to look at the clock once during yoga. And you know what? It made an already enjoyable yoga class even better. Every time I would get the itch to look at the clock I would repeat my mantra "Its none of your business what time it is, you are here to do yoga." My brain relaxed which helped my body relax further. In meditation there is a phrase called "monkey mind", which pretty much means that your mind, if given the chance, will run away with itself...kinda like a monkey. For instance, there is no real reason for me to check the clock during yoga but my mind just naturally goes there if I don't keep tabs on it. Weird huh? Sorry monkey mind, you will not sully my yoga practice!
Do you have a preoccupation with time?