Ass in Chair

From Three Idiots

My good friend, Corey Stewart, is an exceptional and hilarious writer. A graduate of the School of Theology of Sewanee, her reverent and irreverent writings range from novels to political speeches to beer descriptions. She was the ghost writer for my 2020 April Fools blog post and Yogi of the Month Q&A with Bhagavad Brachmacharya. (If you haven’t read these and want a belly laugh, click on the links----I promise you won’t be disappointed!) Corey calls her writing sessions ass in chair.

“How to write: Butt in chair. Start each day anywhere. Let yourself do it badly. Just take one passage at a time. Get butt back in chair.” ~ Anne Lamott

Last month, I took an online yoga sequencing course with Jason Crandell. The course included 26 pre-recorded videos, three days of live Zoom sessions in three different time zones, and a 46-page manual. Lots of ass in chair hours for me, but it has inspired me to become more open and focused on why and how I sequence  my classes, my workshops and my retreats. I loved taking the course. And I have no doubt that while Jason put even more hours of ass in chair time into creating this course, he loved doing it.

Sequencing yoga classes is my passion. But what about the stuff I’m not as interested in doing? Or the stuff I used to be interested in doing that still needs doing but I just don’t want to do it? How about the stuff I don’t think I’m good at?

Holly’s husband, Lee, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who works in Kilmarnock. Holly once told me that Lee often tells his clients to “eat the frog first.” The phrase is a reference from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It means to do the worst thing first, get it over with, and then the others things will be easier to accomplish, to not save the most difficult task for last because that deters the flow of progress.

There are a lot of strategies to help overcome procrastination: James Clear talks about creating good habits. Rachael Cook suggests using a pomodoro timer to keep your butt in your chair for a pre-determined amount of time.

It’s important to remember however, that, as Anne Lamott said, it’s not about how well you do the thing you’re doing. It’s not how perfectly arched your spine is in a backbend, if your legs are straight in Down Dog, or if you feel focused and at ease in meditation. It’s not even necessarily about eating the frog first. It’s about showing up when you want to and when you don’t want to and feeling the flow of progress, both in yourself and the people you ultimately inspire and are inspired by.

I must confess I didn’t feel like writing this month’s post, but I nevertheless kept my ass in my chair. I hope my words leave you feeling inspired the way you’re taking the time to read them inspires me!