Runner's High

- by Ani Raya-Flores

“I took this video last fall. And when I say I took this video, I mean I snuggled my phone into the heel of my running sneaker, pressed record, and hoped for the best. I’d just finished a run around the Silver Lake Reservoir and had the kind of runner’s high that results in a combination of ecstasy (no one can take me down!) and mean hunger (I’ll cut anyone who gets between me and the nearest burrito!). As I was rushing to my car to get said burrito, I noticed a bunch of kids tumbling in the meadow. They were each doing their own thing, but they were all having a damn good time. Just being in their light little mosquito bodies, buzzing every which way, was its own reward.

With the sun almost setting, I decided the burrito could wait (if you know me, you understand the gravity of that statement). I ran to my car, grabbed my mat, plopped it down in the meadow, and practiced. For that last hour of daylight, I just played.

As a teacher, I tend to be focused on alignment and safety. That’s true in my own practice as well. If I feel like I’m not warmed up or not strong enough, I can be a little gun shy about trying something new. While that’s important, it’s also important to let go of your ego, find the reckless kid inside, and just have fun in your body.

It’s worth nothing that just a couple of years ago, I couldn’t even do crow. Not even a little bit. I’m not sure when it first happened, but I’m guessing it was after a trip to the park.”