At the beginning of my yoga journey, I tried to bend my way through my yoga practice. As a young ballet dancer, my pre-‘yoga’ conditioning was creating weightless form and flexibility. I knew how to be soft, yet I knew nothing about what it means to be strong. To give you a little perspective, it means that in (actual) yoga, my elbows could touch the ground in the forward fold, yet the reality was that I didn’t have the strength to do a push-up.â£
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We use momentum through many things in life, exerting forceful, intentional energy to propel us forward. Often this means that we try to avoid or flee from feelings of discomfort. We’re always finding ways to move away from these experiences that make us feel weak. What if we could learn how to hold and lean into this power instead, harnessing more patience, resilience, control, and stability.â£
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Instead of allowing gravity (momentum) to pull you down in chaturanga vinyasa, what if you created divine resistance? What if you could cultivate the strength to fall, as you needed? â£
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Exploring “strength” in my body is slowing down my practice. Instead of kicking up into a headstand or contortion-ing my way swiftly through the asanas.. reaching for a more gentle practice humbles me and is an opportunity to cultivate great strength. â£
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The gentle reminder here is that in many moments in life where perhaps the easiest thing to do is use momentum to pave our way, sometimes we must foster the strength to stay, finding comfort in the discomfort.â£
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What does it mean to cultivate more “strength” in your life? â£
List poem. Complete the sentence and repeat until you have emptied your cup. â£
“Strength is…….”â£
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Reflect and think about ways in which you can invite more of this practice through doing the things that you already love. â£
Seek for strength, â£