Aside from the common questions and comments like, “why do you practice yoga so much?“, “you must be like a pretzel by now with all the yoga you do,” “can you put your leg behind your head?” and “I can’t practice yoga because I’m not flexible“, people are generally pretty intrigued whenever I talk about my heaven on Earth.  They are generally quite curious as to what it is about yoga that draws me in.  They want to understand my passion; they want to see why I am so in love with my practice.

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It’s difficult for me to put into words the way I feel when I am on my mat.  It’s not that I don’t have the words in my vocabulary to describe my feelings, it’s that there just isn’t one way I feel when I’m practicing.  Sometimes I will walk into the bamboo floored studio and onto my mat and feel like I’m going to have the most amazing practice and after about five minutes into class, I feel less than stellar.  And sometimes, I will walk into class with only having four hours of sleep and a growling stomach and I will think class will definitely be a challenge and I end up having a strong and invigorating practice.  There isn’t a recipe or formula (at least not one that I am aware of) that makes for having the ‘ideal’ class or practice.  Every time one steps onto the mat, it’s a completely separate event from the previous practices.  And while I’ve been practicing for over eight years, I never find a yoga class to be ‘easy’.  But then again, if it was easy, I might not find the journey so worthwhile.

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Because the type of yoga I practice is heated (the average temperature of the the studio is 95 degrees), I tend to sweat - a lot.  And while sweating helps to detoxify the body, allows for deeper stretching and increases the heart rate for a better cardiovascular workout, it can also make you feel uncomfortable.  But just how uncomfortable you’ll be or what degree of discomfort occurs will vary from one person to the next.  For me, it’s never the same and I’m never 100% comfortable.  Whether it be the sweat that is dripping from every orifice from my body or the fact that I can no longer hold a pose because the muscles in my thighs are burning, my practice is never a cakewalk.  Even if I do come to class almost every day, it never gets any easier.  But, I don’t believe that we, as humans, can truly find ourselves until we are pushed to our edge.  For that reason, I revel in my discomfort.

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In life when we get too comfortable or things get too easy, we have a tendency to not want to challenge ourselves.  But then again, when in life do things get too easy?  When do we find ourselves being too comfortable?  And because life isn’t predictable, we just never know what is coming our way – good or bad.  Thus, when we do find ourselves in a situation where things may not be as comfortable as we would like and we are experiencing discomfort, we need to find a way to work through what is going on in our lives and find peace within the chaos.

Many people who practice at the studio to which I belong complain about the heat.  They feel that the extreme heat takes away from their practice and makes them lose focus.  At first, I agreed and felt that when it is too hot or when we become so drenched with our own perspiration, that it does become harder to concentrate.  However, I have noticed that when I am in class and I am tired, overheated, maybe even a little nauseous and I feel as if I can’t push myself anymore, that is when I learn the most about myself and when I find my inner strength.  It is at that moment, when I feel so completely outside of my comfort zone, that I have that split second to decide how I want to proceed.  Do I want to surrender? Do I want to panic? Or do I take a deep breath and figure out how I can achieve peacefulness amidst all the disorder? No matter which answer I choose, I know I am choosing based on what my body feels, and not on an involuntary reaction.  And if the heat is too overwhelming or I am just too exhausted, I know I can take child’s pose and give myself the time I need to refocus.  Regardless, I make my decision according to how I feel and what I feel is right for me.

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It is my yoga practice that helps to teach me that life is not always going to be seamless and without conflict.  I have learned that even though I practice close to every day, the poses are not going to all of the sudden be easy for me.  I may be able to transition into them with less difficulty than when I first started my practice, but it certainly will not be without effort.  As in life, if you are constantly being placed in a predicament that makes you feel awkward, you are not going to suddenly like that situation just because it happens on a frequent basis.  Instead, you learn how to deal with your surroundings and the feelings and emotions that come along with that situation.  You learn to find pleasure within the displeasure and how you can grow from your current state in order to proceed with your next stage in life.  And while for some that might not be their idea of fun or something they want to experience every day, but for me, I find it quite comforting – almost as comforting as putting my leg behind my head.

Do you feel as if you can learn something about yourself when you’re put in a difficult situation? What have you learned about yourself (or about life) through exercise?

Namasté,
Nicole