Moving Through the Obstacles to Yoga
The other night I was rushing to get to a virtual class with my teacher from India, Jehangir Palkhivala. The last class with him had been pretty mind blowing, so I couldn’t wait to see what he would come up with next.
I hurried down the stairs to my home studio with my laptop in one hand, a glass of water in the other, ready for what surprises my teacher had in store.
Except little did I know that the shock of the evening would happen before class…
…when I slipped towards the bottom of the stairs and sprained my ankle.
It wasn’t the first time that narrow and slick spot on the stairs got me. I’d fallen at least twice before and almost slid a few other times.
The real slip, though, was that I had fallen back into a couple of old habits: hurrying and trying to do too much in too little time.
You see, pain and illness around the holidays isn’t something new for me. I tend to overdo it out of sheer enjoyment of the lights, the decorating, the baking, the shopping, and the giving. Out of my determination not to repeat holiday illnesses past, I’ve come up with tools and tricks to focus on staying healthy and happy during this time of year. See my post 6 Simple Wellness Tips for the Holidays for a few of them.
One of those tools is paring back my schedule, and despite my efforts to create space by not offering any workshops this month, I’m dealing with a couple of unexpected projects that are taking up a lot of time on top of the Christmas jolly. (Hello again, 2020 chaos.)
Just like that, I backslid to the point of my body needing to tell me to slow down.
The ancient texts describe backsliding as one of the Antarayah (Obstacles) to staying on the yogic path and discovering your soul. The others are disease, inertia, doubt, heedlessness, laziness, indiscipline of the senses, erroneous views, lack of perseverance, sorrow, despair, unsteadiness of the body, and irregular breathing, according to Sutras 1.30-1.31 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. (1)
Any of these sound familiar? They sure do for me.
We’ve pretty much all had a cold. Most of us have gotten sucked into a TV binge on the couch even when there was a mile-long to-do list begging for attention. The indiscipline of the senses is part of what keeps the $71 billion U.S. weight loss industry alive. (2)
I know I’m not the only one who has a drawer full of craft supplies from projects I started and never finished, so if you struggle with any of these things, you’re not alone.
More importantly, you’re not a bad person because of it.
When you see that any of these obstacles are at play in your life, rather than beating yourself up, you can see them as a signal to pause, turn to your practices with a smile, and choose your way.
Because these variances between flow and impediments are how we experience life. We can’t know joy without experiencing sorrow, and how do you know if you’re being productive without some understanding of laziness?
I like to think of the obstacles as little post-it notes reminding me that I always have a choice, however painful it might be or not. So do you, my friend, even when it feels like you don’t.
In a year that has offered up unforgettable obstacles, you’re still here. You’re still getting out of bed each day and showing up for yourself and those you love. I honor that commitment, and I’m so grateful to share this journey with you.
Speak Your Truth
Which of these obstacles troubles you the most? What are your hopes for the new year? What is your biggest challenge to your wellness right now? Let me know in the comments!
In wellness, joy, and inspiration,
Tami
(1) Iyengar, BKS. Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. London, Thorsons/Harper Collins Publishers, 1993.