Time and How Yoga and Ayurveda are Professors

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I have been pondering the concept of time lately. Perhaps it’s because I have turned a year older. The days are long, but the years are short – seems cliché but rings true. There are some days, like when my boys were little, where time felt like it was standing still. I would feel angry when well-meaning strangers in stores would stop and share, “Appreciate this time when they are little because it goes so fast!” I wanted to shout back, “Liar!” However, there is a part of me that still feels nineteen and can hardly believe how quickly time has flown. This part becomes somewhat shocked by the gray hairs on my head, as well as the height and ages of my boys now. This part does not feel old. Yet, there are multitudes of precious moments I have lived. As well as a handful of painful events accumulated. Ultimately, time will proceed in its twenty-four-hour segments. We all have stated at one time or another “if there were only more time in the day” – but for what? How are you using your time? Our relationship with the present moment, and the tools used to savor time with ourselves, and others will be of utmost importance to the quality of the lived experience.

When you speak to those who have logged more years on earth, there is a common thread in what is shared – it is the experiences and the love that stay longer than the “things.” As March begins, I think of my Grandma, who was a Centenarian. She passed in October, but her birthday is this month. She lived to see 103 and one-half years of life. She was often asked the secret to her longevity. She would jokingly reply, “Ivory soap.” While she insisted she had no secret sauce, stories shared at her funeral told different. She was someone who loved deeply and often. She married the love of her life and cherished their marriage throughout their sixty years together. She had five children, ten grandchildren, and thirteen great grandchildren. At age eight-eight her sister-in-law and herself decided to buy new swimsuits and take a “girls’ trip” to Florida to visit some family. They spent time in a hot tub and giggled like they were schoolchildren. There is something about savoring time with those in your life that seems important.

I felt this intimately when we lost our dog, Ruby, unexpectedly the end of January. She was ten years old. We knew she was aging. But we thought for sure we would have more time with her. Up until the Thursday before she died, she insisted on her dinner fed promptly at 5 pm, was excited for nightly walks, and thrusted herself confidently in the path of any passerby as she was certain they would want to meet her. Little did we know an undetected illness was lurking within and by Monday of that next week, she was gone. I am grateful she had one last hike at our favorite preserve. But regret she would not live to see the sun warm the earth again and lie in a sunbeam on the deck one last time. There is something about savoring time with those in your life that seems important.

All of this makes me consider my relationship with time before age takes over. How am I savoring time in my own life? Am I savoring time with those I love? Am I investing in time to care for myself and my longevity? Am I seeing each day as a gift? Or am I waking up each day just so that I can get to the next?

I admit – I am a mix of both. There are occasions I have not listened intently to my husband or son. There are minutes I have wasted scrolling through social media staring at people and dogs I don’t know. There are days I have not appreciated the sun or my own breath. And there are weeks I have run on “autopilot” and anxiety, putting work above my wellbeing and relationships.

Thankfully, I know two great professors of time: Ayurveda and Yoga. Both practices prioritize caring for the Self, others, and living in tune with nature. Living the path of Ayurveda and yoga allow me opportunities to return my awareness to the present moment and savor.

Ayurveda
Practicing Dinacharya, daily rituals that support wellness through routine, detoxification, and nourishment, enhances my relationship with time. Beginning each day with movement, breath, and meditation allow me live life at a pace that feels real enough to connect to the present moment. Moreover, rituals to detoxify and nourish my body create space within to fully receive experiences of the day.

Yoga

Yoga means to “yoke” or to connect. Through the limbs of yoga’s practice, we connect the mind-body-spirit to the present moment. And from this place of integration in the here and now we are more available to connection with others. This ability to be fully present enhances our social bonding, thus enhances our relationship with time and life lived.

Will I live to see 103 and one-half years of life? Who knows? However, even if I only live another handful of years, how I lived each of those years will matter most to me in the end. I will hold fast to the tools of Ayurveda and Yoga as they are professors of time.

“The sun will rise and set regardless. What we choose to do with the light while it is here is up to us. Journey wisely.” – Alexandra Elle