Workout at Checkout

Pockets of time to restore balance are aplenty …..If only you choose to pause.

I’ve changed the way I look at checkouts at the supermarket or the neighborhood store, ever since I started meditation and yoga. I do have the occasional ‘big sigh’ that is innocuous yet audible enough to get the reaction I want (I am mortal and not levitating yet). But for the most part, it has changed.

My time at checkout is to “check in”. I use my time to restore balance and alignment. Interestingly, the longer the queue, the more I get done 😊

Most of us are unaware of our own body and minds, the extent to which it is over-used or misaligned on one side or the other. There is a reason for a left and a right. For two feet, two legs, two hands, left brain and right. Balance is the operative word.

Tell-tale signs are typically seen in the soles of the shoes you wear and in photographs or videos you take, where your own posture or leanings sometimes surprise you. If you’ve spent a good part of your life walking on high heels, with your bag on your right shoulder, there is a high chance that the heel and the bag have left their imprint behind – the habit imprint.

Ever tried to create footprints on sand with your family? The third and fourth toe stuck together, refusing to make friends with the other toes. Your heel imprints on sand sometimes are clearer than your toe imprints; indicative of where you place your body weight. How your body gets its alignment is often dependent on your genetic imprints.

And we haven’t even touched the mind yet. We have been caught in the complex web of patterns that we have created in our thinking over time that create its own set of imbalances and misalignment.

None of this is noticeable unless you choose to pause.

Even more reason for a “Workout at Checkout” – a great way to get that reset time. Whether you are leading a frenzied go-getter lifestyle or have chosen to slow down, whether you are a type A or type anything, your supermarket checkout counter is a great leveler of sorts. Your turn will come when the universe decides.

So why not use that time more effectively?

Here is my Yoga cheat sheet of a few things you can do for your feet at checkout. I’ve provided a handy image below. Take a picture on your phone. You now have no excuses.

P.S. I chose to place a picture of a Koala with this article for a couple of reasons. I found my spirit animal on a recent trip to Australia. But more importantly, I am fascinated to see the way Koalas sleep, what seems almost precariously, atop those thin branches. Perfectly balanced. Completely motionless. The only sign of movement you will observe is their long deep breath. Me thinks they make great Yogis.