Moving From a Place of Resistance
When we move from a place of “This is not where/how I want to be”, we create physical and emotional resistance that can cause us to feel stuck in our practice. It can even make us feel “less than” as a result of the negative self-talk that develops in the mind.
I’m not good enough.
I can’t do this.
The person next to me is so good at this.
I’m never going to be good at this.
And so on.
By now I’m sure we’ve all heard that our thoughts shape our reality. How are you choosing to shape your reality? Our brains are constantly rewiring and rewriting thought pathways in accordance to the reality we are shaping. I encourage you to notice when you fall back into an old thought pattern, for example, telling yourself that you aren’t flexible, and instead try to replace that thought with another one, such as that you are flexible. Over time this will be rewritten in our brains, helping to create space for growth.
If you are not making the effort to change something, then you are choosing to remain the same.
Rather than moving from a place of resistance, try meeting yourself where you are. Acknowledge your flaws and your strengths. Take note of things you would like to change, while still honoring and accepting where you are at. Change comes more easily when we settle into something, rather than trying to force something to happen. This applies on and off our mats.
The next time you are met with resistance, I invite you to try your best to scope out what thoughts come up, the reality you are shaping for yourself within those thoughts, and make changes accordingly. Another way to move beyond resistance is to remember that nothing lasts forever. This idea of impermanence can be encouraging when feeling like we’re going to be stuck where we are and how we are forever.
Where does resistance come up the most for you? How do you deal with it?
