Yoga cured my Silicon Valley Blues

Living in an area of the country that was experiencing phenomenal economic growth, called the “dot-com bubble” in the 1990's. I could sense that everyone was living a very material life and seeking thrills that only money could satisfy. I got the same bubble attitude and jumped into the frenzied atmosphere of what I see, I must own. This led to the belief that the bubble was a real place and that everyone around me was living an ideal life.

The .com bubble did not last it burst. The downturn during the “.com” years affected the computer industry and in turn affected the overall economy, which caused many people to lose their jobs. The turnaround came slowly and many companies supplemented this by sending jobs out of the country. This was a difficult time. I think I tried to keep up with what I thought was the normal pace of life, and spent more money on material objects. However, after the bubble burst it was time for tightening my belt. It was hard, but necessary as my debt had mounted and was almost out of control. I made some investments that help offset expenses that had to be paid. I set some goals that would allow me to reduce my debt to the bare minimum as quickly as possible. It was hard, and I made sacrifices like most people. In addition, I began a dedicated course of study towards a master’s degree. This curtailed my social life big time. In fact, I was working full time attending master’s level classes, and continuing to participate in several community service projects. I stayed busy and sometimes the workload between the different projects caused a lot of stress. I tried to maintain my visits to the gym at work, but suddenly I was working from home more frequently and going into the office to work out at the gym was not as convenient as it had been previously. I walked in the local park, and worked out at home as much as possible. In addition, I meditated every day. I still gained weight and had trouble sleeping.

Over several months I developed a routine through a combination of meditation, physical workouts – including walking, dancing, biking that helped my body remain strong and healthy. These types of physical exercises after a time become more of a backup to my asana practice. I became stronger mentally and physically using techniques learned in my yoga classes, the heart of which is control of the breath and the thoughts in the mind.

This is an excerpt from my new book. Other titles currently available; "Yoga for the New Millennium: Dharana Reflections off the Mat, Poems and Images".