Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Out with the excuses, In with the love

Let's face it, most of us do not look like a cover model on Yoga Journal magazine, and our yoga flows aren't always as graceful as those on our favorite yoga DVDs. In fact, many times we look at some of those poses and think, "No way can I put my body into that position." In my years as a yoga teacher, I've lost track of the number of times someone has said, "I'm not flexible enough to do yoga." Many of these assumptions about yoga come from stereotypical images of a yoga teacher or student in a pretzeled out, advanced yoga pose. I often wonder how many people have never tried yoga out of fear of not being flexible, skinny, twisty, bendy, or whatever enough. 

I was never athletic growing up. In fact, gym was always my least favorite subject. I suffered a back injury just crossing my legs that ended up requiring surgery at the age of 16 years old. Despite being a yoga teacher, I am still not athletic. I have run (and I use that word loosely) one 5K ever, and don't plan on doing it again. Because of my back injury, I do have limitations, and I have learned out of necessity to listen to my body. 

Listening to the body is what I encourage everyone to do when they come to my yoga classes. I tell them that I will give instructions to guide them through poses safely, but that it is their responsibility to know their own bodies, because the reality is that we are all made differently and we all have different abilities. 

Earlier this year I took part in a daily yoga pose challenge. The challenge was to try a new yoga pose every day. The poses were pre-selected, so there were definitely some poses that my body simply would not do. When I first encountered such a pose, I actually skipped that day. However, after skipping one pose, I decided I would not allow myself to do that again. Rather than skipping an "impossible" pose, I would find a modification of the pose or do a different pose altogether.


Doing my own thing.
One of the things I love about yoga is that it is not competitive. It is actually more contemplative. So what I was able to remind myself during the daily yoga pose challenge is that it really doesn't matter what we look like in our yoga pants or whether we are doing the poses like the DVD or the cover of the magazine. 
My soul-nourishing, belly laughable attempt
at a modified variation of a handstand.

What always matters is whether the posture feels good (and safe) in our bodies and in our very souls. 
It didn't feel good to my body or my soul to miss a day of yoga just because I was unable to complete the assigned pose, but when I challenged myself to choose a different pose or modify the pose, even if it looked silly, my yoga practice was doing what it is supposed to do to begin with....nourish my body, mind, and spirit. 


So next time one of those excuses creep into your mind telling you you're too (fill in the blank) or you're NOT (fill in the blank) enough, I want you to take a moment to breathe, and mentally say to yourself as you inhale and exhale:

(Exhale) "Out with the excuses."
(Inhale) "In with the Love."

Then remember that when you take the time to listen to your body and your spirit, you will create the space to make that situation or that practice or that whatever it is your very own, and you will find nourishment for your mind, body, and spirit.

Be well.
Shannon


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