The Power of Practice: Finding Balance Beyond the Mat
One of my favorite quotes is that yoga is called a yoga practice, not a yoga perfect. To me, this means that yoga isn’t something that needs to be achieved or treated as a competition, whether with other people or within myself. I remember signing up to take my first yoga class in high school because it seemed like it would be an easy A since there would be no homework or test taking. Those first few classed were SO hard. It felt impossible to get in the “flow” when I spent so much time looking around trying to figure out what’s going on and of course, worrying about how I looked. In college, I continued to practice yoga and found it to be so helpful in my own mental health journey. After I became a therapist, yoga became even more important as it was my favorite form of self-care and what allows me to keep showing up fully for my clients. Over the years, I’ve realized that yoga is something that’s meant to be focused on how it feels in the body, not what it looks like.
One thing I love about yoga is the simplicity but effectiveness of it. Sometimes, taking a few moments to close your eyes and focus on breathing can be so powerful. Life can feel so go go go, but yoga gives us the space to slow down and recenter. For me, the thought of sitting in silence for an endless amount of time feels so daunting, and often times, unhelpful. When I’m anxious, trying to meditate isn’t always feasible but I’ve found that focusing on breathing paired with simple movement really does help quiet my mind. Sometimes when I get on my mat, I realize how much tension I’m holding in my body, which signals that I’m holding onto a lot mentally. In turn, this lets me know that I need to work on self-care, whatever that may look like. Tuning into internal cues is so important when learning to reconnect your mind and body.
Recently, I tried attempting a headstand (against a wall, we all have to start somewhere!), and found that being quite literally upside gave me a new perspective on things. Sometimes looking at things in our life from a different perspective gives us the opportunity to problem solve and develop open mindedness. I’ve fallen out of poses, gotten frustrated, and immediately tried to get right back into the pose, only to fall out again. Similarly, when I’m struggling with something off the mat, I immediately keep pushing without taking a moment to regain my composure. I’ve learned that it’s okay to take a break so I can come back recentered and refocused. Again, it’s a yoga practice, so it’s okay to not have everything be perfect. The act of trying is enough.
