unlearning through yoga

Yoga is all about “unlearning”- unlearning your negative thought patterns, your emotional patterns, your disorganized breathing patterns, your poor diet patterns- so that you can shed light on who you really are. A you that is healthier, lighter, happier.

It’s like peeling the layers of an onion until you get to the core.

There is no doubt that yoga is tough, and even for the experienced yogi, we hit this edge in a pose where we think it’s too much.

Whatever your self-harassment is- we keep resisting the pose, the movement, the breath, the class itself.

We get mad at the instructor. We get mad at ourselves. We wonder why we’re even there in the first place.

This is the point where yoga can change your life. This is the point where you have a choice.

No one is going to make you do the pose or judge you either way. It’s all within yourself.

It’s your choice to send your breath to where you feel tension, discomfort, resistance and instead choose to surrender to it. Every one of us has limiting beliefs in our minds that hold us back, most of which we aren’t even aware of. These beliefs are so ingrained in who we are that we rarely even notice them as conscious thoughts.

That little voice when a big opportunity arises in life that says, “No, that can’t be for me. That’s not in my genetics. I’m not built that way. I can’t.”

Yoga helps you bulldoze past that edge of fear and negativity. I encourage you to attend yoga with an open mindset and just go with the flow.

Quite literally.

Some pointers for your first try at yoga:

Try out a variety of classes. Find what you like and dislike. I thrive on a morning power yoga class when I crave more energy and want some inspiration. Some days, I feel run down and overwhelmed, I need a candlelit restorative night class. Listen to your body, and choose what you need.

Don’t feel guilty about trying different yoga studios. Find what studio makes you feel “at home”. There is a studio out there that will feel like a safe, calm space for you.

There is no such thing as “mastering a yoga pose”. The mastery is in being content with where you are in the pose and not judging yourself.

Unless you’re looking around to see how a pose is done, try not to look around the room. We all have an instinct to compare ourselves to the flexible Kardashian in the front row and then feel bad about ourselves. For years, I would leave class as thinking I wasn’t ‘good enough’ at yoga. Now I just feel proud for being there in the first place.

You might cry. Not because it hurts, but because in yoga emotions surface. And the process of yoga helps you let go of those emotions. It’s a good thing.

Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. Push past your edge. There is no such thing as being forever inflexible or unbalanced, those are temporary. It’s all about practice. The benefits on your body alone is incredible- yoga detoxifies your body, promotes blood flow, improves posture, tones muscle and increases strength.

The bad news

THE WORLD is waiting for you the second those yoga doors open to the parking lot after class (Dane Cook reference, anyone?) Remove any attachment that you’ll remain in a peaceful state throughout the rest of the week. Because you won’t. There will be moments where you snap back into the drama of life. Where you get wrapped up in your to-do list. Where you binge eat a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies because you’re overwhelmed.

The good news

What you subconsciously learned in yoga will turn on a light bulb in your head whenever a negative thought pattern or habit presents itself outside of class. The awareness of your thought patterns alone is transforming. You start to let go of negative thought patterns, and over time, you learn how to replace them with positive ones. You find moments of being grounded enough to check off something on your to do list. You have a moment where you simply notice the drama, instead of immersing yourself in it. You eat a few less Girl Scout cookies when in a state of overwhelm.

Just show up to yoga or do a yoga video at home. The light bulb will turn on, I promise you.