Running off to become a yogi

    I had my first yoga class on Wednesday morning. It's harder than it looks. Downward dog is no joke.
    I got a copy of the latest Yoga Journal magazine (well, in real life, they get sent to my job and I just happened to grab this copy). And there's an article in there about being happy with much less.
    Now, of course it's about only buying food and underwear and working less so you have more time to practice yoga, which I am not about to do, but there were a few thought provoking points in the article.

 "In order to afford things, you have to work long hours, leaving you less time for what truly sustains you. ... An expensive lifestyle also limits your choice of career, forcing you to take a high-paying job that may not be fulfilling."

    Every day I go to work, I wonder what for. Granted, I enjoy what I do and I am ambitious, hoping to climb the rungs to get to the point where I am paid well to do whatever I want. The problem is, more often than not I am going to work simply to crank out whatever needs to be done before I can go home. I just want the paycheck to pay for the things I've bought years ago, no longer have and probably never needed (hence, my credit card debt).
    But there's a difference between purposeful simplicity and reactive simplicity.

  "Self-denial will backfire. "Don't say to yourself, 'I'm not going to have this or that.' Instead of focusing on what you're denying yourself, focus on what's really healthy or, in this case, on whatever gives you true satisfaction."

    For example, I am ready to break out my checkbook and buy a new wardrobe. I was pinching pennies so tight for a while that I didn't do any new clothes shopping for a while and now I have a handful of ratty sweaters and button-down shirts with too-short sleeves.
    Every morning I wake up, look in the closet and my shoulders slump. "I can't wear any of this," I lament silently to myself.
    Self-denial in this instance has really backfired. I need new clothes, but rather than buy and replace things little by little, I'm ready to blow a whole wad on new stuff. And we all know I don't have the money for that.
    This is a perfect example of being penny wise and pound foolish (Flexo at Consumer Commentary has a great post about that you should read. Click here.)
    Obviously, I don't go to work naked, so what I own must work pretty well. While I do need new things, the article made me think about why I need them and how badly do I need them.

  "Train yourself to reflect before your buy something. Why do you want it? Do you really need it, or are you trying to escape negative emotions?"

    I often shop out of boredom or because I'm feeling down. There's something exciting about a new shiny thing or smelling new fabric. But, of course, it's temporary.
    Still, I think the most important message here is to always have a purpose. Being debt free for the sake of being debt free really isn't inspiring and I suspect you'll eventually be in debt again.
    But if you want to be debt free so you can go back to school and train as a musician, that's a purpose. If you're buying the coat because you'll freeze if you don't, that's purpose. Quitting eating dinner out because you want to learn to be more creative in the kitchen is less painful than cooking at home for no other reason than it's cheaper.

    Here's a list of tips I adapted from the article on deciding what's essential:
    Identify what gives you energy. Figure out what activities drain you and which ones juice you up. Do more of the latter and less of the former.
    Talk about it. Sometimes we consume (whether shopping or eating or draining other people) because we don't know what's bothering us. Sometimes we can only figure it out if we talk it out.
    Slow down. You can't really experience things if you rush through them. Only by slowing down can you learn what deeply satisfies you.
    Confront the numbers. You can't live the champagne life on beer money for long. Look at your spending record and see where you're leaking money on unimportant things.
    Visualize the simple life. Write down the things you wish you didn't spend so much time, energy or money on. Next, write down the things you wish you could have or do. Looking at both lists, figure out how you can reconcile the two.

    DH

Comments

[Kim]

Heh. I wanted to start yoga, too, but at home. Did my first sesson with a DVD on Wednesday, and you're right, downward dog is NO JOKE. And this instructor guys seemes obsessed with it.

[Debt Hater]

Yeah, it seems like people who get into it get totally obsessed. I liked it and will do it again... we'll see how deep into it I get!

[D]

Great post! I want to do Yoga too. Although that dog is not something I even want to ask about. They opened a new studio by me. I just don't know if I am sure enough of myself to do it in front of others.

[Single Ma]

Yoga? Ha! Tried it, but I'm not flexible enough. After one class, I felt like an old lady suffering from arthritis for weeks.

re: new wardrobe. I was able to do this on a budget by focusing on staple pieces that are timeless and can be mixed/matched. I'm not a name brand fiend, but I take really good care of my clothes. For ex: I stick to one detergent I trust (Tide); follow label instructions; wash delicates on gentle and air dry; hand wash lacey undergarments; dry clean most of my work clothes, etc. If I didn't gain so much weight, I could still wear the blazer I bought from Target 3 years ago.

It's one thing to outgrow your clothes and NEED new ones, but like you said, most people buy new things out of emotion - or many times, simply because they didn't take proper care of what they had.

[Les]

As always, your post has made me think and rethink a lot of things. Thank you.

[bluntmoney]

Nice post. Purposeful simplicity is really what it's about. I've found that I enjoy the things I've chosen to keep doing even more after cutting out the activities that were mostly clutter.

[Paula]

Hey Girlie!

Stopping by to see how the wedding stuff is going. I've moved the site to the link shown above. Haven't updated in awhile but the time is coming.

I started doing yoga as well and I love how it makes me feel. Downward Dog is actually pretty easy for me but inverted Plank and Table kill me.

For those that want to try Yoga and don't know if they want to do it in studio, I highly recommend the Yoga Zone Tapes. They are really well put together.

[Kris]

DH - These are such good tips. I had to face these issues in graduate school. I was working too many hours at my job and was unable to compete with my classmates and ended up with some not-so-good grades. I ended up cutting back my school and taking an extra year. It was hard to balance getting enough sleep and exercise with having social interaction (that is, seeing people at all!) and being able to pay the bills all while trying to scrape my way through school.

Ultimately, I was responsible for choosing what meant a lot to me and no one else. I had to focus my time and money on what I valued, and not what others peceived to be important. There needs to be an understanding of the big picture as well.

By the way, I love yoga and it is one of the things I spend money on because if I don't practice on a regular basis my back hurts. It is the big picture, again, that is important.

Love your blog! Good luck!

[sf mom]

Couple of comments:
1) you don't have to break the bank to get new clothes. We have a Boutique Goodwill here in SF. I've bought suits, silk shirts, etc. for a fraction of the cost new. Check to see if your town has one. I also shop at Marshall's, Ross Dress for LEss, etc. You can always find a deal for basic items.

2) Yoga is amazing. I've practiced on and off for 9 years. I find that when I'm consistently practicing yoga my life seems more balanced. I can handle work, home life, family issues. It truly confirms the mind-body connection. Stick with it and I bet that you'll feel great about all aspects of your life! It's amazing like that.

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