I continue to try to apply off the mat yoga lessons to my everyday life. Similar to the mind body lessons of unity, choice, and TAKING UP SPACE I discussed in Part I, today’s ideas are just as meaningful in the physical practice of yoga as they are in the mental practice of life. What strikes me about all of these ideas is how small or simple a change can be to have a really big impact. Stretching just a few more inches makes me feel empowered, breathing a little deeper makes me feel more connected and unified, and taking a pause opens up a whole world of choices for me.
What activities do you regularly participate in that give your mind time to wander and grow? I’ve never been a runner, but I have friends who do their best thinking during a long run. For some of us, we need quiet and calm, for others, music and activity are needed. It doesn’t matter what the practice looks like, what’s important is that we prioritize the activity and allow ourselves the time, space, and energy to wander through our thoughts. This leads to one of my favorite yoga phrases…
Be Curious, Not Judgmental: It sounds so simple and yet, for me at least, it can be so challenging. It seems curiosity, especially when it relates to being curious about myself, goes hand-in-hand with judgement. Why isn’t this side as flexible – probably because I’m lazy. Off the mat, I might be curious about why I’m late – probably because I procrastinated. It’s so easy to immediately revert to self-judgement and decide that our self-perceived faults are to blame for everything, big and small. What does your inner critic say to you? Whose voice does it sound like – your own, a parent, a childhood teacher? That inner critic can be LOUD, especially when we are trying to calm ourselves and give our mind time to wander. Over the past few years, I have become well acquainted with my inner critic and held numerous conversations with it (more on that in a future post). I finally feel like I can control that narrative, at least some of the time. So, when I get curious, not judgmental, and I’m able to quiet the inner critic voice, what do I find? I find that I’m kinder to myself, that I allow myself to take care of myself more. And when I’m kinder with myself, I’m kinder with others, with my family and friends and my clients. Because I’m curious, why are these things the way they are right now. What can I learn from them? What might I want to change – and why?
Our Gut is Our Second Brain: I’ve always been a big fan of intuition, but when a yoga teacher recently said this, it made me giddy. We can get caught up in the spiral of thinking and overthinking and re-overthinking. While many situations require deep, contemplative thought, that isn’t the same as re-overthinking. One of my favorite exercises in my Eyes on the Stars and Feet on the Ground program is a visualization of the professional future we want. We then we ask our mind, our heart, and our gut what each part knows to be true about this future and what each part wants for us. If your mind is where intellect and creativity live, and your heart is where passion and fire live, what lives in your gut? To me, the gut is the combination of both your heart and your mind, the foundation that is built on inner trust, or instinct. The gut doesn’t want to hold you back, it wants you to be bold, and it is rarely wrong. It’s your own personal trust fall. The gut is the part that really knows and understands you. What does it take to let go of your “first” mind, and let the “second” mind have more of a say in your day-to-day life decisions?
Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect, It Makes Progress: I’ve heard several reframes of “practice makes perfect” but this one really stuck with me (and not just because I love a good alliteration!). A few posts back, I discussed getting really defined with your goals, otherwise you won’t know when you’ve achieved them. Since we all know that practice doesn’t make perfect, but we know practice is important, what is the goal of practice? Progress. That’s what life is all about, right? Progressing from here to there, forward movement. That’s not the same as always needing to achieve something new or bigger though. Progress can be incremental and very personal. It’s about the journey, not the destination. And, my favorite part of progress, it can be done one small step at a time. When you have a goal, like a yoga handstand or writing a book, progress comes in the discipline of practicing. That can be slowing advancing your poses every class till you achieve the handstand, or it can look like writing 100 words a few times a week till you’ve written the next great American novel. It’s small wins, over time, that add up to the accomplishment of your goal. For inner work, it can look like sitting with your thoughts quietly for 5 minutes every day which leads to great self-understanding. While all three of these goals are worthwhile, the real lessons are found in the practice. What’s a goal that you have, and what’s the practice that will progress you along to achieving it?
As I continue to learn and contemplate the age-old wisdom of yoga, I look forward to sharing more insights. That’s part of my practice and my journey.
Inquiry: What does your gut tell you when you get curious about where you are right now?
