A journal of sorts, a blog of sorts, a place for keeping and sharing words and thoughts
Do you remember why you started doing yoga? What first brought you onto the mat? And what kept you coming back??
Everyone has different reasons for coming to yoga… at this time of year, there are often people beginning their yoga journey, wanting to explore something new, feeling buoyed up by the positivity around New year’s Resolutions to start a new fitness regime, or to make changes in their mental space as well as physical wellbeing.
I often think of the parallel between opening the door to a messy room, firmly intending to tidy it up and starting the yoga practice.
The “room” is ourselves, of course, and the “mess” in the room that we want to tidy up is different for every person - perhaps lack of flexibility, wanting greater ease of movement, or a desire for finding ways to manage stress, a need for some time out of the day or week dedicated to ourselves, lost connection between ourselves and our bodies.
In exactly the same way that we approach an untidy space and start to sort things out, a regular yoga practice starts to have an effect fairly swiftly. What I love is that there are often surprises… while tidying up a messy room, sorting things out, you might discover something underneath piles of laundry or paperwork that you’d lost, or had not even realized you had in the first place! Exactly the same thing can happen with yoga.
Now of course, you could just go into the messy room, put everything away without properly sorting through the piles, and come out feeling that you’ve accomplished a whole lot, which you have! The room looks a whole lot better, and you feel a whole lot better as a result. You could start doing yoga and become gradually more flexible, stronger, use the breathing techniques and meditation practices to deal with stressful situations. Hurray, positive results all round!
But
But, there’s the opportunity for a little more. Actually a huge amount. There’s the opportunity to discover what’s actually in those piles of laundry and mountains of paperwork, before you neatly push them together into a corner to tidy the room. We’ve all tried the tactic of short term tidying - I remember being sent to tidy my bedroom, and my mother came in with a broom, and simply dragged out all the toys and clothes I had kicked under the bed!
If you decide to really properly deal with the mess, first of all, you accept that it will take some time, and you’re okay with that, because to do anything thoroughly you know requires dedication, time and patience. So, as you start to “tidy”, perhaps you start to throw some things out that you realize aren’t needed any more, or to change the metaphor back to yoga, you start to identify and remove behaviours or habits that no longer serve you. You discover things you’d forgotten about - perhaps a joy in movement and connection, a feeling of mental clarity and childish curiosity to discover what you are capable of (I’ve watched people come into my classes, barely able to touch their toes, and after some time and dedication to their practice, they discover they can balance on their hands…so what else in their lives are they capable of doing, not just in physical terms?). You might find something amongst the paperwork, old magazines and clothes loitering around gathering dust that you had no idea you even possessed! An ability to persevere when the practice becomes challenging, an ability to say no to ego when you are so much better connected to yourself you know that what you need is child’s pose or, equally, to recognize when you are ready to challenge yourself. You might discover a way to approach yourself with self love, kindness and acceptance that totally changes how you view YOU. Our approach to the yoga practice, just like the metaphor of the messy room, is really always a reflection of what we do in our lives off the mat.
We all have different reasons for approaching that messy room as and when we do. Sometimes it all gets a bit much, and we leave it, only to come back when we’re ready.
If you want to get into that messy room, have a look at my teaching schedule, or get in touch.
I’m a big believer in moving in life with Intention. When we set out to do something, if we lead with fear, rather than intention, there is likely to be hesitation, second-guessing, and more often than not, we miss opportunities that the universe lays out for us, so busy are we, looking over our shoulder for what might come behind us, and worrying too far forward about what disaster could possibly happen. Our instinct isn’t to look for the magic we may create!
There is no denying the power of words. If you’ve ever read a story that moved you, a quote that lifted your heart, or flinched at harsh words thrown at you, then you know that the old adage is disproven - sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will leave a mark inside forever.
Words can be wielded like weapons or tools - creating something, or tearing things apart. The yogic concept of ahimsa - non-violence - applies as much to the way we speak to and about ourselves and others, as well as how we act physically. The tone of voice, the language we use - it is as important when directed inwards as outwards. Really internalizing that realisation was perhaps the greatest turning point for me in coming out of an eating disorder, and talking to myself with far more love and kindness. I stopped picking apart my body in the mirror, or questioning why I wasn't a different kind of person. I decided to talk more kindly to myself, and it created a huge shift. The mantra “I am enough” has become my anchor - and I talked about this in an interview on mindful parenting on the Here for You for Them website.
Mantras or affirmations are hugely effective and impactful, but I want to talk about something different. What about the power of a single word?
Not enough time to eat healthily and drink enough water (I have frequently been guilty of this)
Not enough time to have quality time with friends and family
Not enough time to take time out for self care
So where, I wonder, does all this time go? Where do the 24 hours each and every day disappear into? What black hole is swallowing up the time that we so need in order to live whole, complete, balanced, happy and healthy lives?
The daily grind is often the first answer that pops up - although, as well as providing lucre to live by, hopefully our work also to some degree challenges and fulfils parts of us. If we are left feeling nothing but drained, perhaps we need to look elsewhere. Any relationship needs to give back, and I’ve said repeatedly in my yoga classes that if a yoga pose, job or relationship continuously causes sharp pain, we need to either modify it, breathe into it, or GET OUT or if the former two don’t alleviate that pain.
There are times that looking after ourselves can feel though like one more thing to add to the never-ending things to do list. However, if we don’t,
