01/16/2024
A lot of people think that because I teach yoga that I must be very chilled out and totally at peace with myself all the time.
That’s a big huge NOPE.
I’m still a neurodivergent human with a lot of complex trauma who’s living in a world that sometimes feels like a giant dumpster fire.
But yoga does teach me to come back to the here and now of life and make aligned choices that foster my growth.
While I can say yoga has helped me learn how to relax, it certainly hasn’t changed my entire personality.
All the parts of me that make me me are still there.
What the practice has done for me though is that it allows me to see myself more clearly so I can accept all of those parts of me that I learned to reject.
The self doubt
The self judgment
The fear of failure
The fear of success
The fear of heartbreak
The uncertainty and insecurity
My too-much-ness and my not-enough-ness
That’s the biggest reason why I practice – it gives me perspective.
It has given me tools I can use to come back to the present when my old pals anxiety, overwhelm, fear and anger decide they want to show up in my day.
Instead of jumping into familiar patterns of distraction, dissociation, numbing, avoidance and shame, I lean in.
When we can get curious about what these emotions are trying to tell us, and give ourselves the space and time to listen, they actually don’t have to shout as loud to get our attention.
When we know that the nature of mind is to be in movement, we can approach big feelings as a very normal part of our human experience.
When we stop looking at big feelings as a problem to be solved, but as an invitation to come back to self, to witness not judge, to accept not reject, they become invaluable friends on our journey to wholeness and self-acceptance.
