Again, a yoga practice. Thank goodness I have my yoga practice and instructors to remind me of what I think I know but somehow always need to be reminded of.
Relax into it.
It’s true of my yoga practice. It’s true of my life.
My general way of being? Push through anything and everything. I somehow learned to hunker down and “just do it” – whatever the “it” was. Ignore when I don’t feel well. Grit my teeth and make it happen. Keep going no matter what. “I will survive.”
It’s taken years and years for me to learn that relaxing into it – whatever “it” is – works better. At least for me.
I’ve best been able to ease through difficult situations when I stop fighting them. I’ve best been able to ease into my yoga practices when I breathe and loosen rather than force my body into a pose that it doesn’t really go into. I’ve best been able to get the most out of my day when I relax and enjoy and bask…and then do, instead of driving myself to do and do and do some more. I’ve best been able to move forward when I let myself sometimes choose to move forward at a more leisurely pace.
There definitely are times when I need to push and when my striving benefits me. There definitely are times when my ability to kick in and keep going is an absolute gift. But I’m learning to go into drive by choice and to balance my drive with relaxation. With meditation. With stopping and checking in with myself (and sometimes with others).
When I give myself the choice to relax and breathe, I can remember that all is well. When I give myself the choice to remember that all is well, I no longer have to fight. When I give myself the choice to no longer have to fight, life gets easier. Some would say that I get easier.
Many of us falsely believe that more is always more and that harder is always better. I’ve come to believe that those are silly beliefs – and that they don’t always help me.
When I allow myself to relax into it – again, whatever “it” is – I give myself space. I allow myself ample time. I gather strength to push when it’s time to again push. When I allow myself to relax into it – whatever “it” is – I fuel myself for whatever is coming and find more joy and ease than I ever imagined.
Relax into it.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please share this post with others if it resonates with you!
Photo by Jen Armstrong on Unsplash
