Yoga want me to do what?

During my doctor’s appointment on Friday my blood pressure was 176/130.  *blink*  (Full disclosure, that isn’t my highest reading ever.  And, in my defense, I did warn the nurse it would be high. – Ok, maybe even I didn’t expect it to be quite THAT high, but I knew it would be high.  It is always high when I’m in a medical setting.  I have “white-coat hypertension” – I hate doctors, clinics, and medical facilities in general with a passion.  She didn’t seem to buy that it would be that high simply from my phobia of physicians, especially since this doctor doesn’t draw blood or use any needles.)

After taking a look at my blood pressure, the doctor decreed that, in addition to increasing medication intake for stress and anxiety, I must, immediately, lower my stress level.  Yeah, I looked at the doctor like he had four heads.  He was kidding right?  I looked around, ready for the PUNK’d team to jump out at me.

When they didn’t, and he didn’t look like he was morphing into Ashton Kutcher, I quietly explained to him, in detail, that my life is stressful.  I was born into stress.  I am in a little cocoon of stress.  It is just simply part of who I am.  I operate best under stress.  I’m a Type-A personality.

My doctor, a very large believer and proponent of Eastern philosophy and medicine used in conjunction with Western medicine, nodded indulgently as I went through my diatribe.  There were simply too many stressful things in my life for him to seriously consider a reduction in my stress levels.

He clearly didn’t understand.

Because, he proceeded to say the two words I loathe more than life itself.   Yoga and Meditation.

For those of you who know me, I know you’re all sitting there thinking –  Inconceivable!  (I know I was!)

You also know that I have never, ever, ever been able to give myself over to the world that is “yoga.”   I could list off all the reasons for that.  My brain doesn’t shut off.  It’s too still.  It’s too quiet.  It’s too… yoga.  I do *not* do “New Age.”

However, in addition to increasing my medication in an effort to chemically reduce my stress and save myself from a long family history of heart disease and early heart attacks, he was quite clear.  I have little choice.  I must learn to embrace something which alleviates stress, promotes relaxation, and reduces my blood pressure.

No amount of begging and pleading on my part changed his mind.  I decided I’d give myself the weekend and start on Monday.  Yeah, that sounded like a good idea, right?

So this morning I got up and worked my way through the first yoga lesson.  Yes, by 5 minutes in I wanted to kill someone.  After 20 minutes I was ready to just let the stress have its own way if I never ever had to do this again.  By the end of 45 minutes, I couldn’t get up off the floor fast enough.

But, I made it through the whole 45 minutes.  I’m taking that as a mark in the “win” column and calling it “progress.”  Who knows, one of these days I may look back and think “what was it I didn’t like??”  (I’m not holding my breath, but it could happen).

What about you?  What do you do to manage stress?  How do you get over the ‘hardest part’ (the beginning) of starting a new good habit?