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You’ve Abandoned Me. Balance Don’t Live Here Anymore!

Have you steered your ship off course?

Did you know when we are out of balance we tend to stay out of balance. To the point where someone’s ‘out of balanced’ state might actually feel (at least to them)… balanced, even good.

This is not good. It’s a lie people fall asleep to night after night. And if you’re wondering why we’d do that to ourselves, hear me out.

I was drawn, and still am drawn, to dynamic, strong movement. No pain no gain! I’m an 80s chick. I got the T-shirt. Plus, it’s not the easiest pattern of thinking to shift.

But what I get now, thanks to studying, practicing and teaching yoga, is that being drawn to dynamic work doesn’t necessarily mean it’s what someone needs. At least not all the time.

Why?

Well if you’re disconnected from your body and your mind is on a constant spin cycle of external noise, repetitive mental garbage and socially conditioned thought patterns… if you are disconnected from your energy needs in the moment, then balance has already abandoned you….as the song goes, ‘It don’t live here anymore’.

In short, your imbalance has become your new normal and you’re probably not making many good choices for yourself.

And in these worrying times when we really all need to be looking to up level our immunity and making better choices, when we next choose how to serve ourselves through physical movement could we become more curious and ask ourselves a few deeper questions?

What kind of questions?

Well, such as ‘is working dynamically what I need today?’ Really, really, really…need? Or will that feed into my existing imbalanced stressed, overworked and depleted state?

Before I go any further, it might help to clarify that yoga is not a pose, a series of poses or the movement between the poses. You’d be forgiven for thinking so, but the postures you see on Instagram and in those beautiful glossy articles are actually termed as asana and this is just ONE thing yogis practice to experience or move towards yoga (which actually means union).

Most of us start with the physical and movement aspect of the practice because that’s the most likely way it will be sold to us in a gym (on Instagram) and even in yoga studios. It’s what gets us in the door, because that’s what we can relate to ‘needing’. You know… ‘I need to do yoga because I’m not flexible enough’, or ‘I’ve got back ache’, or ‘I need to strengthen my core…’

Now don’t get me wrong, whatever gets you in the studio door, I’m all for. We all have to find and walk our own path.

But then, if you are serious about actually feeling good and regaining balance comes the task of waking up. Not just to your physical needs, but all the other stuff that gets in the way of your experiencing actual health. Things like toxic relationships, financial worries, overwork, emotional instability.

Are you ready for that?

Because only when you wake up and reconnect back to yourself, only when you can honestly assess your state of being, re-establish your centre and work from that place, will you start to move towards real balance.

Only then will you start to break free from the lies and the stories you tell yourself that simply moving a lot and sweating a ton automatically wins you your lottery ticket to wellness.

Only then will you start to equip yourself to make the more intuitive choices that serve you in every moment and begin to meet your unique, individual needs.

If this speaks to you and you think it’s likely you don’t even know what ‘balanced’ feels like anymore and you want to empower yourself to make choices that move you towards a healthier, happier, more successful you, I invite you to join those of us who are practicing here at Yoga Local.

Our mission at this studio is to help you awaken to who you are and what your needs are, today, and every day after that. That could be by moving dynamically, but maybe (at least for today) not so much.

And it’s you that gets to make that choice. Not me, not your bestie who swears by a 90-min hot flow session, not anyone but that part of you that knows you better than anyone else – your inner Self.

We all come to our mats every day with certain levels of pranic energy, otherwise known as life force. And the investment you make in your practice should return MORE of that pranic energy. In other words, you should feel more vital than when you started.

If your practice, or your workout, or your movement isn’t doing that for you – balance has abandoned you. Or more importantly you are abandoning the opportunity to find balance and ultimately create health for yourself.

Is this making sense?

Yes, you read it right. You’re in charge of this ship baby!

Let me emphasise again, your health is your responsibility. And that’s not something to be fearful of. Let it empower you to make the changes you most desire.

But one last thing. At the risk of sending you running for the hills even faster, it should be said, yoga is not achieved through one-time observations or some quick fix, 21-day and your done solution. We work to achieve yoga or the experience of yoga (union) through daily curiosity, reflection, and enough compassion and trust in ourselves to make the right choices and adjustments that suit our Self.

You can seek a guide to help and support you (a qualified yoga teacher is a good place to start) but ultimately, in time, you will learn to master your practice and become your own best teacher.

It’s for the committed. This work takes a lifetime (or several lifetimes). But I reckon it’s a journey worth taking to find out who you really are and what you really need to fulfil your potential for health and happiness, not just today, but every day!

Would you agree?

Let me know.

Love

J X

To find out more about our classes and courses visit www.yogalocal.co.uk

And, if you want to be put on the wait list for the next BEGIN course send an email to josie@yogalocal.co.uk with the subject line I want to BEGIN, Josie.

 

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