paranoid yogic disorder { PYD }

I have a strange obsession with diseases, afflictions, disorders, and my beloved Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide — 1288 pages to feed my infinitely curious brain. I carry the latter about lovingly and you can trust that I am full to the brim with important facts. My latest reads: how to treat an eye out of socket (pg 1208) and replaceable parts of irreplaceable you (1217-1219).

This brings me to a disorder prevalent amongst yogis and yoginis: Paranoid Yogic Disorder. Do not be alarmed if you recognize any of the symptoms. This disorder magically disintegrates with meditation, practice, and belief in the self.

Paranoid Yogic Disorder — Common Symptoms:

1. The belief that every last pair of eyes in class, even the ones in front of you, are ON you. { truth: everybody is worried about their own sh*t. don't stress. }
2. Absolute conviction that the teacher is judging your every move. { truth: unlikely. he or she is probably thinking about the spiritual well-being of the class, what's for dinner, a to-do list, or perhaps, what that strangely paranoid/constipated look on YOUR face means. }
3. Questioning your yoga wardrobe. { a. find a new studio if this is the primary concern there. b. as long as your hotness is relatively contained and you're wearing something comfy and breathable, you're good to go mofo. }
4. Wondering if you smell. { slap on some deodorant and poof! this worry disappears. magic! unless you ate garlic...then you're f*cked. }
5. Fear of falling and faceplants. { a normal amount of fear keeps us safe. too much keeps us from doing all the kick-ass sh*t in life. be brave, little grasshopper. you are sturdier than you think. }
6. Constant self-doubt about making it through a tough pose or the whole class. { truth: this is your tricky mind messing with you. don't let it win. you got this shizz. }

Dr. Lo says that you should remember what a badass you are. Now get the hells out of your own way and show your practice who's boss!

Meanwhile, if you need me, I'll be reading up on Deep Vein Thrombosis. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I'm 99.9% sure I have it. Either that or Restless Leg Syndrome.

Comments

[Svasti]

Dr Lo, I bow down to your mofo greatness :D

[lissabliss]

Love it, Dr. Lo. Thank you for empowering my kick a*s self. <3

[nancy]

brilliant..

[rebecca]

heeeheeeheeeheeehee

[Anna Guest-Jelley]

I burst out laughing several times throughout! (Starting with that cat pic!) I have an affinity for WebMD myself. :)

[keishua]

LOL...Were you in my yoga class this weekend? All this was running through my head. Especially #1, #3 and #6.

[jodi]

Love it! I have this little trick I've been trying lately. When those nasty paranoid thoughts arise, I notice my thoughts and reactions, and give them a big hug. I also notice when I swear when not being able to hold a balance, and try to laugh instead. xo

[MeredithLeBlanc]

Ack! The out of socket eye thing totally made me cringe! Wew, I had to do some deep slow breathing before reading the rest. Wait, do I have an eye popping out of the socket fear????

Wait, can all of you read this????

[Amanda]

Dr. Lo is in the hiz-ouse! LOVE it. Unfortunately, I know too many establishments that encourage #3. Yak.

[Terra]

Wow, all the things I am paranoid over....crazy!!!!
Take care,
Terra

[Susan]

Haha. I loved this. Especially just starting out in yoga again!

[Sheryl]

this was the shizz-nit! I love your lists.

[Sarah]

This cracked me up - and described me a bit. Especially since I'm currently talking to you about wardrobe over on Twitter! But only in the covering-up sense, not in the "oh my, are my clothes expensive enough!??" sense. ;) I've discovered that it's a sign of a very good teacher if they can handle a *little* PYD (espec. in regards to #5 & #6) and make you feel like their class is a safe space.

And now I think you need to tell us what Deep Vein Thrombosis is, 'cause we've all got it for sure!

[namaste*heather]

Perfect Dr. Lo! Amazing as always!

[Erica]

You are so freakin' cute! There's a lot of truth in this little post. <3 Lo!

[Birdie]

HA. Love it. P.S. The likelihood that you have Deep Vein Thrombosis is equal to the likelihood that you have a panniculus. Meaning not at all likely. Meaning 100% not likely. But HA!

[Stacey Yogini Mamacita Hawtita]

Be brave lil' grasshopper cracked me the eff up.

[Tara SG]

Hahahaha this cracks me up :)

I create things like this for reading conditions on my reading blog!

[YogaDawg]

:) you're funny!

[yogi fari]

ok, so no one else is paranoid about 'relieving wind' ?? esp when you have been eating a pile of beans? fantastic!

[Maureen]

I absolutely love your site!! It gave me some deep belly laughs I needed!

[Amanda Brewster]

I faceplant a lot. But usually, it is funny enough to get over quickly. Love this!