Be Your Own Hero
Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we tend to forget what it feels like to believe that anything is possible.
Why is that?
It’s almost like we’re going through a reverse metamorphosis—we start out as childlike butterflies, happily fluttering from one opportunity to the next, only to later curl in our wings and wrap ourselves into tight cocoons as adults, convinced that the only way out is in.
There are lots of reasons this happens, often without us realizing it. We start focusing more on the outcome than the process. We compare ourselves to others. We convince ourselves that if we can’t do it right the first time, there’s no point in trying at all. We see failure as an opponent.
And before we know it, we’re stuck.
At Thrive, we receive numerous phone calls and email inquiries from potential new yogis. The most common concern we hear? Worries about not being fit or flexible enough to give yoga a try.
My response is always the same: one of the great things about yoga is that yoga meets and celebrates you where you are. You get to work with your body as it is, every day that you come into practice. You get to reconnect with that feeling of being open to possibility. You get to increase your flexibility and suppleness, strengthen your muscles, and find mental agility. You get to serve your body, mind, and soul in a whole new way.
In short, you get to be your own hero.
If you can do it, anyone can.
When I was growing up, I wasn’t exactly athletic. (Let’s just say I was usually one of the last kids chosen to be on a kickball team).
“As I got older, my father wanted me to stay active, so he made me play sports. Knowing it wasn’t my strong suit, he told me if I played two sports a year, he would buy me a car.”
As I got older, my father wanted me to stay active, so he made me play sports. Knowing it wasn’t my strong suit, he told me if I played two sports a year, he would buy me a car. Needless to say, I joined the track team. I was such a bad runner, though, that my coach actually used me as a decoy. He would have me run as fast as I could, for as long as I could, to set an unreasonable pace during the mile-long race with the hopes of tiring out the girls from the other team so that our teammates could eventually pass them up.
In hindsight, this was not only unethical, it was also demeaning. Even if I hadn’t found my athletic calling—no one wants to feel like a loser, and I certainly didn’t walk away from that experience feeling very good about myself or my abilities. So, I pulled away and decided to stick to clubs and academics.
Then I got to college and discovered I needed to fulfill a physical education requirement. I signed up for a martial arts class. I wasn’t great at it, but I was always called to the front of the class to demonstrate. Finally, one day after class I asked the teacher why, and he simply said, “If you can do it, anyone can do it.”
The lesson here isn’t to always place yourself as the lowest common denominator, but to remind yourself that you are capable of anything. Why not something new?
We all start somewhere.
Years later, I found myself in a hot yoga teacher training.
The front of the room was usually filled with women who had done gymnastics or had been dancers, confident enough to have the rest of the class at their backs. Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I would typically hang out in the back of the yoga room with all of the middle-aged guys who had suffered injuries or had arthritis.
“I remember using all my strength to hold a standing head-to-knee pose the whole time. I was kicking my leg forward, and feeling very proud of myself.”
My instructor had other plans for us, however. We were strongly encouraged to try different spots in the room. So, one day, I worked up the courage and grabbed a spot in the first row. I remember using all my strength to hold a standing head-to-knee pose the whole time. I was kicking my leg forward, and feeling very proud of myself.
After the posture was over, the teacher stopped the class and came over to where I was standing. He said, “You! Grab your foot! Kick forward! Bend your elbows down! Touch your forehead to your knee!” I had never touched my forehead to my knee before and was as shocked as anyone when I was able to do it.
In my mind, it was something only the flexible girls did. After I did the posture, the teacher said to the class, “See, if she can do it, anyone can do it."
Same statement as before, but different meaning for me this time—because this time I learned that we all start somewhere.
Yoga not only met me where I was, but helped me to understand that the strongest and most rewarding progress isn’t measured by the distance between where we are and where we want to go—but between where we are and where we’ve been.
Never be afraid to give your body what it needs.
Fast forward to today.
Even though I have been practicing and teaching yoga for over 20 years, I know that I am still not nearly as flexible as some of my counterparts and classmates. And that's perfectly ok.
Yoga isn’t a competition of strength and flexibility (repeat that every time your eyes and mind wander during practice).It's a practice that helps you feel good in your own body, and to feel more and more like yourself. It's a practice of self-acceptance, self-confidence, self-expression, and self-care. I do it because it makes my life better—yoga helps me win at everything else that’s important to me. I practice because I feel stronger, less stressed and more open.
Never feel afraid to give your body what it needs. Yoga taught me this. You can be your own hero. You can show up for yourself just by showing up on your yoga mat.
Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.
I’d love to meet you where you are and see your hero in action.
Come try it for yourself. Sign up for one of Jenny's classes: