The last two months have been very busy.
Planning, helping and speaking at three events
in three different countries has left me exhilarated
*and*
a wee bit exhausted.
So this week I returned grateful to my mat.
There is something so calming for me in yoga
it does not see to matter how long a hiatus from my practice might be.
The second I walk in, it feels like home.
Can you relate?
But I have a confession.
While I love my studio, the teachers and yoga in general,
there are certain yoga poses I do not love.
I might even say hate but let’s go with “really, really resist doing”
One of those is camel pose.
The last time I tried this pose was for a photo shoot for my studio.
And while the photo turned out beautiful
the leaves cover up my total anxiety from being in it.
I was always terrified to get into this deep heart opener.
Convinced it was too advanced for me
or that I would pass out from the dizziness I experienced
each time I even tried to arch back even a little.
So naturally I avoided it and dove into child’s pose anytime
a teacher had the big idea we should do camel during class.
But yesterday something happened.
I just decided to approach camel with curiosity.
I went into it really, really slow…
trusting each step of the instructions
and gently eased myself into it
planning my escape the whole time the second I felt woozy.
But woozy nor dizzy came.
And in this tiny pocket of trust
I surrendered to the pose.
Whoa.
In this tiny moment of doing something
I was utterly convinced I could not do
I wondered how many times I stop
just before my own breakthrough?
Maybe a leap of faith doesn’t always have to be adrenaline filled.
What if my (and your!) next breakthrough can happen by going slow,
waiting just a little longer before quitting,
and trusting you can go farther than you think?
Breathe.
Trust.
Lean in.
Thank you camel for reminding me of what is possible
on and off the mat.
To possibilities,
Beth