Carolyn Creative

Sometimes I hear a voice when I’m practicing twisted chair pose. Or rather, voices. (Not those kind of voices. My mind is sound, thank you. Relatively.) After holding the pose for a extended period of time, my quads have transformed from muscles into magma.

One voice says, “This sucks! Let’s bail.”

And the other one says, “You can do this. C’mon. One more breath.”

Darn that voice! We all have one. It is the same one that pipes up when a challenging situation arises. The one spouting logic and honesty. The one that nudges you to confront a friend instead of just hoping things will work themselves out. The one that prompts you to make a decision in your professional life that may not be the most comfortable route. That suggests it is time for a relationship to end. The one that presents a clear cut solution which is often the tougher path.

Our asana practice is a microcosm for how we live our lives off the mat. Do we throw ourselves into tricky poses without considering the repercussions? Do we shy away from more advanced poses, clinging to what feels comfortable? As we deepen our practice, can we connect more readily to our own voices and wisdom?

At the end of each yoga session, we practice sirsasana (headstand prep) in Hatha Basics. This is a class of predominantly newbies. I am always inspired by those who decide to lift their legs up to the wall or ask me to help them rise up into their headstand. There is often an exhilaration that follows a student’s first trip up in sirsansa. Sometimes even a big smile!

Yoga reminds us — on the mat or off — the toughest challenges are often the most fulfilling.