“I’m letting go of everything I once was…I’m all in, I’m all in…” ~~ by Toby Mac
As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, we need to focus on our journey in yoga, not the destination. Easier said than done for many of us, wouldn’t you agree?
If you’ve been trying to focus in your practice on the mat (or off the mat, for that matter) and have been having some trouble, remember this…it takes practice and repetition. But it also takes you making the CHOICE to do what needs to be done. You can practice your yoga poses over and over, and gain a lot of experience in the process. But until you make the choice — the decision that you are going to succeed — it’s just alot of MOVEMENT. There’s a shift that happens in your mind when you finally decide to let go and give it your all. Instead of thinking about trying to MAYBE make something happen, you think about how you WILL make it happen, no matter what.
When you give your all, it’s amazing how much easier the path becomes. Suddenly, it doesn’t feel like such a chore anymore, and you stop questioning yourself so much. When you’ve given all of your heart to something, it’s easier to take on challenges that arise and persevere, because all of you is invested.
Many of us start by doing this on our yoga mats. We may make a conscious decision to do whatever it takes to reduce our stress, relax more, loosen up tight body parts, strengthen weak parts. Those are all good things to start with, for sure. For me, it started back in 1999 with the decision that I needed to get on the mat to reduce stresss and sciatic nerve pain, because nothing else seemed to be working. It was torture for me the first few classes, because I had such a hard time focusing my mind on the task at hand, and I was constantly frustrating myself with my lack of flexibility compared to the other students in the room with me.
But I was in it for the long haul. I had made the decision to go all in so that I could move forward in my life in such a way that made me happy and healthy. Pretty soon, I stopped looking around at everyone else in class and just focused on my teacher’s instructions. I turned my attention to my breath, noticing how it gravitated towards my tight and/or weak spots and worked at opening me up. Noticing how once I started doing that, it became easier to focus on what I was doing in the moment, instead of all the things that were stressing me out in my life.
It wasn’t long before I saw this spilling over into my life off the mat. All of a sudden, I noticed I was able to look within myself more honestly, and there were some things I didn’t like. The fact that I always tend to avoid conflict, and that I am always bending over backwards to make sure everyone around me is happy, regardless of my own feelings. The fact that I shut down when things get tough.
Now remember from up above that in yoga, we focus on the journey, right? Well, for me, I’m still on my journey. It has not been easy for me to make the changes I need to make. I definitely have more work to do, because self doubt constantly makes its way in. But as of late, I have recommitted to letting go of what I once was…I’m all in, so to speak. I’m saying to myself that I am worth doing whatever it takes to make my life the best it can be. On the mat and off.
What about you? Will you join me on this journey? Will you take an honest look at your life and decide where changes need to be made, and then commit to doing whatever it takes to make the changes a reality? If you do, who knows what will happen? I can promise you this: no matter how things end up, you will know that if you were truly invested with your whole heart, then the result is what was meant for you. And how can that be bad?
Namaste,
Melanie
SC Yoga Girl 