Self Consciousness & Excruciating Honesty Regarding Yoga and Mindfulness

Ever walked past an outdoor Yoga Class , wanted to give it a try but thought ….. I don’t want people to see that “I am terrible at yoga” ?

“When people ask me why I do yoga, I tend to start listing the benefits in a random spiral, which is really an effort to justify why I spend so much time “indulging” in a practice I love. When I reflect on the more honest answer though, it’s simply this … “ I do yoga because I prefer the person I am when I do it, to the person I am when I don’t do it”. Or, if I’m excruciatingly honest, “I do yoga because it’s one of the fundamental things that have kept me alive” 

Ebony Hall ~ Yoga NRG Teacher Trainee Graduate

Throughout much of my life (and on my yoga mat), I have definitely been preoccupied with what other people think of me and had a strong perfectionistic drive. There have been several opportunities that I haven’t pursued, out of fear of people thinking negatively of me, or me worrying that I wouldn’t be able to perform well enough (ie. perfectly). I even walked passed NRG classes down at Moffat Beach for two years, desperately wanting to go, but feeling too self conscious about people seeing that I was “terrible” at yoga.

For me, the most important thing that differentiates yoga from the other modalities I’ve
studied and/or experienced, is the ability for me to be my own healer.
I’m the one that regulates my physical and emotional state, through my pranayama and asana
practice. For me this is such a gift. It gives me a feeling of empowerment that I can take the reigns when it comes to my health, rather than waiting for something external to be what “fixes me”.

Yoga has taught me that I’m not broken, I’m just human”

~ Ebony Hall .

 

Thanks Ebony for sharing your journey.

Congratulations on your journey so far .

Namaste 🙏

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