Some Grace for the Beginners
By Meg Sanchez
There are countless reasons why yoga has become a wellbeing staple of my life. As I change physically and mentally, I’ve become accustomed to adapting my practice to follow suit. I see it as my own personal super power. Tired? Here we come, child’s pose. A bit anxious and aggressive? Maybe today’s the day to tackle that bind.
Yet still, I find my eyes wandering throughout the classroom, in awe of those who invert with ease or can magically touch their nose to their knees without effort. ‘Keep your eyes on your own mat,’ I whisper internally. But in the classroom and even when I leave, it’s so much easier said than done.
Compare and despair mode can be a dangerous, slippery slope. And for some reason, we all seem to slide right in. Sure, the constant bombardment and connectivity on social media isn’t helpful, but I believe there’s a bit of fear in all of us around being a beginner. I know a lot of brave people, and what I’ve come to discover is that we often like new challenges and adventures. What we don’t feel so great about, is being a newbie. That’s the danger zone.
So we end up comparing our chapter one to someone else’s chapter twelve, and it’s not helpful. Let’s flip this switch. What if we made a commitment to ourselves to release our ‘not enough’ and ‘never fast enough’ mentalities? What might we create space for instead? Probably a whole lot of opportunity, ease, peace, and pleasure.
Because no matter how advanced or skilled or downright amazing someone or something is, there was initially a timid beginner. Sometimes not even that long ago. Why not take a deep breath and learn, rather than beat ourselves up?
IT’S GROWING (even when you can’t see it)
We’re instant gratification people, and the pace at which society is evolving doesn’t really do us any favors. When we attempt something new, not only is our progress slower than we’d like, but it’s often not noticeably visible. At least not right away. That can be frustrating, for sure.
Let’s take a queue from nature. Every winter there’s some serious underground fortification going on so life can bloom again in the spring. At the surface, everything looks pretty dead. But underneath, magic is happening and the seeds of something beautiful are being sewn.
New behaviors and skills are similar. Take a moment to connect with some of the most memorable moments of your life. Think about what led you to that experience. There was a great journey that ensued, wasn’t there? And not all of that journey was visible; sometimes there were acts of faith. The steps we take to our ultimate goal is where the true goodness happens.
CHANGE THE LANGUAGE
Our words have tremendous energy. They can prolong our circumstances, bring us down, or shift us right into an empowered state. For example, when we continuously talk about the things in our life that ail us, we invite more of that in. Instead, when we speak in half-full terms, it seems like good fortune comes knocking on our door. Call it luck, but I’d say a good part of that experience is your expression to the world around you.
“Oh man, I totally suck at X.”
Ouch. Not a very nice way to treat yourself.
Try this on for size instead: “I’m not quite where I want to be with X.”
In the latter I hear hints of possibility, compassion and hope. I’d take that over self-deprecation any day.
FORGET RESULTS
Focus on building the habit or skill itself. Whether you’re strengthening a new yoga practice or remembering to floss, remember that there’s a lot of power in simply making a choice to show up for yourself in the best way you know how. Do the thing to the best of your ability and then let go of the outcome. The victory is in the attempt, always. Releasing expectations frees up so much space for organic growth and discovery.
If we can show judgement the door, there’s endless opportunities waiting for our curious minds and hearts. Here’s to being a beginner, over and over again!
Megan Sanchez is the owner of UpSwing Health Coaching. She works one-on-one with busy professionals, working parents and executives who want to double their energy, revamp their lifestyle and live purposefully. Megan helps people develop habits that are built on super small, everyday commitments to nutrition, movement, and personal nourishment that feel good because your body tells you so, not because you’re following the latest trend. She loves both outdoor and urban adventures. She’s called DC home for 8 years.
To learn more, visit upswinghealthcoaching.com