Stretching the Body and Mind
I don’t know about you, but I usually have a love-ugh relationship with working out.
Some days, I show up ready for the challenge, but most days, I slowly and begrudgingly show up to work out. All the while, my internal chatter is protesting…" noooo.”
Funny, though, despite the internal struggle to actually begin, I always feel great once I finish.
Well, this day was a lot like all the others. I wanted to take a yoga class but didn’t feel I had the time and certainly did not want it to be too challenging. Basically, I wanted the benefits sans the actual work. Oh, I should disclose this was a Power Yoga class. Right?
The internal chatter of my mind wanted a workout that wasn’t challenging – LOL. Nonetheless, class started, and we easily moved through the warm-up phase into the more challenging poses of the class.
This was a fast-moving power yoga class in which the instructor carved out moments of calm. It sounds serene, right? Nope.
Moments of calm can be described more adequately as holding a pose for an incredibly and uncomfortably long period of time. Think you’re done holding it. No. Now? Still no.
Get the picture. Just as I was beginning to think, “Wow! This really hurts. How much longer?" (said in a somewhat whiney internal voice), the instructor noted that sometimes we can mistake discomfort for pain. Hmm…is this true? Was I mistaking discomfort for pain? Do I do this often?
Many poses later, she asked us to notice what we do when we feel discomfort in our bodies.
Do we move away, do we release the pose all together, do our minds start to chatter with negative speak saying it’s too hard or wishing the discomfort to go away?
My answers were yes, yes, and yes…the trifecta. I admit to doing all of the above.
Then I began to wonder how much of this is true throughout my daily. Is this true when I feel a twinge of discomfort – say, in trying something new?
Do I work through the discomfort? Do I welcome the negative voices, knowing they only want to keep me from harm, not from accomplishment? Or do I buy into the moment’s discomfort, believe the negative chatter, or stop moving forward?
What about you? Do you work through the discomfort?
I found this to be a great exercise in awareness…not judgment. We’re not judging or shaming our reactions and thoughts.
Instead, we’re becoming aware of what we do in discomfort. With this knowledge, we will be able to notice in real-time when our mind starts to chatter, or we start pulling away from an uncomfortable situation – like trying something new.
At this moment, we can make an informed choice on how we want to handle a situation or experience. We can ride the proverbial wave or jump off at any point. No matter the decision…it was made with the knowledge of in-the-moment awareness and mindfulness.
Nicely done! Who knew the most challenging part of this yoga class was not stretching into the poses but rather the stretching in my mind?
#mindfulness #yoga #internalchatter #discomfort #negativeselftalk
Mindfully yours,
Sheila
Sheila Tucker is a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Heart Mind & Soul Counseling. She empowers clients who overthink, worry, and experience their fair share of anxiety to become more rooted in peace, ease, and confidence. When not in the office, you'll find her walking her pups or planning her next mountain getaway with her husband.
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