I like to think of adversity as the ultimate teacher of life. It’s natures way of intervening and causing shifts. As a yoga teacher I have the opportunity to play with adversity on the mat and explore my choices- to stay or not to stay.
The first time I ever did pigeon pose (15 years ago) every inch of my body screamed with pain. I immediately stopped.
I’m blessed to have had some amazing teachers who taught me how to be patient and explore the pose, listen to what my body was saying, and most importantly be persistent.
I continued to show up on the mat and approached yoga as an exploration vs. an exercise. I cried in pigeon pose countless times until one day I laughed.
Persistence paid off and something shifted. What started as a love-hate relationship with pigeon has turned into a love-love.
Don’t get me wrong, my running, cycling, Crossfit body still struggles in pigeon pose but my mind has grown flexible and each time I meet it, I learn something new.
Where in your life can you stay persistent in the face of adversity? What can you shift in your mind to stick with it?
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