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It's primary day in Pennsylvania where I live. The media has descended. Obama supporters have pushed themselves past the point of exhaustion. I believe in the work, but I have no intention of panicking today. This is a marathon, not a sprint. The only way for us to win this thing is for both our candidate, and us as supporters, to pace ourselves for the weeks ahead.
As I pondered what to post here in "The Nest," I thought about coming up with a new recipe, since my Barack pie was such a hit. And if you want more Obama inspired recipes, definitely let me know. But I didn't think that home cooking was what I needed today.
From the moment I woke up this morning people started asking me, "Do you think he'll win? Do you think he'll win?" And all I could think is that it's very characteristic of the left to whip ourselves into a frenzy as if somehow we feed off of all the manic energy of being the underdog.
But I honestly don't feel like I'm backing the underdog. I feel like Barack Obama is the next president of the United States and that he is, categorically, the best person for the job.
You know how in sports, the team with the unstoppable track record, comes onto the field with their game faces on, ready for whatever you're going to throw their way?
Well, I've discovered really serious yoginis have the same thing. They're centered, they're focused, they're rested and they're prepared.
I'm not necessarily all of those things, but I aspire to be. Which is why I wanted to share with you the shortest and most restorative yoga pose I know: Legs up the Wall, the pose pictured here.
In my ideal world, I do legs up the wall for ten minutes every night. But I'm impatient and I get antsy, so I often rush it. But I can tell you that even five minutes in this pose can do so much to help you refill an empty well.
When I do manage to stay for the full ten minutes, I find that it helps to listen to a few songs on my Ipod or an inspiring audio book, (right now I'm loving Pema Chodron's Getting Unstuck.)
So tonight, instead of stressing as the numbers come in on CNN, I'm going to do this mini yoga practice and say an Om for the Obama family, campaign workers and all of the supporters of change and hope in Pennsylvania today.
If you decide to try this "Om for Obama" pose, let me know how it goes.
And if yoga is a regular part of your practice, why not talk to your local yoga studio to see if they would be willing to hold a community "Om for Obama" class, with all proceeds going to the campaign?
We can win this election, but we've got to take good care of ourselves and each other, every step of the way.
Namaste.
