The beginning of my yoga journey wasn’t very “pretty.” â£
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In fact, I was the one in the class that wept through e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g, especially when the teacher would talk about showing up as you are. I’m also the one that would think I knew so much about my body, when in fact, I knew nothing at all. Flustered, I would go home and practice relentlessly, finding ways to hate myself for not being enough (as if I just completely forgot what yoga was really about.) Little did I know, these were all behaviors that stemmed from my inner child, still living in my grown adult body.â£
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Yoga shows us how we choose to live in our bodies by taking us out of our minds. Being triggered in my practice was a reflection of what was happening on the inside. I had a competitive childhood, my mother was never satisfied, so I grew up as a people pleaser. I moved through life this way, feeling like I’m never enough, and as you can see, even sabotaging myself in yoga practiceâ£- which is what yoga is, merely a practice!
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The more I moved through yoga, meant that more wounds were opening. It meant undoing everything that I thought I was and becoming the love that would set me free. It is a dance between control and surrender that takes us out of our minds and into our hearts, feeling into the language in which the soul speaks. There are always gifts inherent in our wounds… if only we are brave enough to open them. â£
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I step onto my mat these days, knowing that each breath and stride allows me to trust the process, honoring myself and the practice. The inner child will always live, and it is my responsibility to nurture her with more kindness and compassion, something she never understood before. â£
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Translating Our Woundsâ£
If we are wounded children living in adult bodies, what are our wounds saying about us?
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A beautiful way to tune into this journaling exercise is to imagine speaking to a child (who looks like you) with these wounds and writing a letter to comfort her. â£
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From my inner child to yours,â£
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