Why You Can't Reach Me

            My phone is generally within easy reach and I am often not very good at ignoring its seemingly constant buzzing.  If you text me, I generally will get back to you fairly quickly.  It’s the culture we have created with our technology and our need for instant gratification, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.  That leaves me trying to mitigate it so that I’m not spending the entirety of my days interacting via a small screen and an even smaller keyboard.  I am always working on being less technology-dependent.  When I’m spending time with friends I do make a conscious effort not to answer messages and open emails, but my phone is still nearby and I am still aware of its presence.  If a text comes in that seems really important, I will probably still open it even if I am trying my very best to be present without my technology.  Constant phone monitoring has become the norm when hanging out in a casual setting.  Phones are in laps, in pockets, clutched for dear life at all moments and we are all guilty of it. 

That being said, there are certain parts of my day during which you will be absolutely unable to reach me.  Some of these are not done on purpose, such as the fact that I am not going to answer my phone when I am in the shower.  However, when I am exercising I purposely disconnect from my phone, from email, from social networking, from any sort of digital communication.  At the gym my phone is in an armband and is only there because I use my phone for music during my workouts.  I am vaguely aware that it might be lighting up and buzzing but I will not check it.  Lately I have even been using the Do Not Disturb setting.  Whatever it is can wait.  I will not answer texts until I am done working out, and I certainly will not answer a phone call.  I am completely checked out from anything that is not the physical exercise task at hand.  Gym time is also no phone time.  When it comes to yoga, I am even stricter with myself about my phone.  During class, my phone is in my bag in a locker in a completely separate room.  While I’m on my mat, I forget that my phone exists.  I forget that most things exist besides my flow of poses and my breath.  I am not even a little bit aware of whether my phone is dinging or vibrating or spontaneously doing a funny dance in the locker.  The room in which I am practicing yoga is a sacred space, free from communication with anyone outside that space.

As I increase the amount of time I spend consciously disconnecting for the purpose of yoga or gym time, I find myself less attached to my phone throughout the rest of my day.  Spending time unplugged and focused on my body does wonders for clearing my mind of all the clutter.  On my mat, I can visualize outside thoughts as little bubbles that I can just pop to make them disappear.  My vinyasa is my number one priority whether it is for those 90 minutes of class or for five minutes of sun salutations in the morning.  Exercise is what keeps me physically healthy but it is also what keeps me mentally sane.  Disconnecting is an important part of that, and so is prioritizing my gym and yoga time for the sake of the benefits it provides me.  You can’t reach me while I’m practicing yoga because nothing is more important in that moment than what I am doing on that mat.