How working on that seemingly impossible yoga pose will enhance your life

Yoga can sometimes be challenging. Really – it’s like that for everyone. I know you maybe weren’t sold it that way. You were led to believe it was all peace, light and relaxation and it is, but sometimes it’s hard too.

We all face challenges in our yoga practice. You may think you’re the only one, that you are special and nobody else has it as hard as you do, I am sure, but we all have our challenges. Challenges on the yoga mat aren’t usually as hard as the challenges we can face in life. Yoga can be hard but life is sometimes harder still. What do you do when you can’t do something, how does it make you feel, what do you do about it? So you can’t touch your toes, grab your big toe, bind your hands together, jump back, whatever it is. Or maybe the challenge is getting on your mat in the first place; maybe you don’t feel like it, maybe that’s the best day to practice.

It doesn’t really matter if you can do fancy yoga poses although sometimes yogis get so obsessed with asana that they forget this. Yes, I have been there too. What matters is how you learn to embrace the impossible, can you work at something again and again that you can’t do. If you can manifest this attitude on your yoga mat can you bring this new skill into your life? If you can do this, and of course you can (I believe in you every step of the way), then imagine how much more you can achieve. Maybe you won’t manage to do all of the things you set out to achieve but I suspect that not only will you achieve more than you ever imagined possible but somewhere along the way you will realize that the journey is way more important than the destination. You will find that being willing to step into the space of what you deem impossible, gradually, carefully yet consistently, gives life more color and possibilities. Yoga has taught me so much patience and perseverance I sometimes feel unstoppable.

How you can to face the impossible on your yoga mat

• Practice, this is the most important one. Practice often and just appreciate that there are poses you can’t do yet.
• Avoid getting overwhelmed; choose a maximum of 3 yoga poses to work on in any session.
• If you are going to repeat a yoga pose, do it a maximum of 3 times, if you have done it 3 times move on with your day.
• Work out what is making this challenging for you in the pose, if in doubt ask your teacher for guidance, maybe some other poses can help.
• Keep your sense of humour and perspective. People are not going to love you more or less depending on your ability to do this pose. Achieving it will not perceivably change you or your life. It is far more important who you are in the moment – and for that, the journey and the humility you learn are much more important.
• Do go easy on yourself in those times when you fail, just showing up is enough.
• You may feel resistance, acknowledge it but don’t let it control you.
• Listen to your body, this isn’t about doing more than you can, it’s about safely exploring your current limitations, safely and consistently.

Have you faced the impossible on your yoga mat? How has this helped you in your life?