Little Messes Everywhere

It’s where my demons hide. Yoga and adversity - life and adversity - life and failure - Yoga and success

For the last month or so, I have been feeling like life is testing every skill I have to remain calm. If you are a parent and you see your kids hurting, it’s hard not to intervene, but intervening isn’t always the right answer. Letting children learn to deal with adversity is important. I’m the spicy one in the group; I have no problem saying what everyone else is thinking. While this is a great trait—ehhh, there are times when it’s not. My ‘demons” hide in saving people from themselves or others. While this seems like a great trait, it has its downsides, especially when the people who need saving can’t do it themselves, and I feel I need to take control. That’s wonderful and all, but how do I help my kids deal with their adversity without needing bail money (joke)? Just as in yoga, finding the balance between stepping in and letting go is key.

Today in yoga, the focus was on arm balancing - thanks, Matt. The class was set up to address failure in poses, paralleling how we face challenges in life. As I was told after class, he was able to hear my inner monologue - yes, part of it was“Holy Shit” (yep, that one was out loud), but inside, I was saying: you can do hard things, you can manage tough moments by taking a breath, slowing your mind, thinking through steps, and moving forward. Did it work? Absolutely. The asanas were intense (I might not move my arms for a week!), but for me, it was less about the asanas and more about how to move in and out of them—a parallel for navigating life’s situations (maybe with a little cursing).