I love bougie gyms. You know, the ones that have your café, steam room, sauna, massage services and various nooks to do some work on your laptop. Add childcare services, programs and camps and it is a working mother’s dream! My dear friend introduced me to a gym that I now call my second home (well when things resume some semblance of normalcy) and it wasn’t long after I joined that she talked me into checking out one of the yoga classes. I figured why not. I had seen yoga classes on TV, all the women dressed in their lululemon pants, smiling blissfully as they went perfectly from one yoga position to another, their faces a peaceful glow. Enters me. Well, first of all, the class is called SURRENDER and I have plenty of pounds to surrender but unfortunately, that was not the point of this class.
The atmosphere is serene, slightly warm and the dimmed lights puts you in a relaxed mood. Meditative music and sounds of nature pipe softly through the speakers and the instructor welcomes everyone with a near whisper greeting as ladies are rolling out their mats and towels in various spots. Definitely my kind of atmosphere, so far so good. Some ladies lay down and cover their face with a towel and seemingly just breathe softly as if they are getting ready for bed while others are doing slow stretches. I roll out my mat, watching my girlfriend for cues, you know how that is—first time in a class and you really don’t want to be the obvious first-timer who really is clueless.
Class begins and for the next 45 minutes, I stretch and hold positions where I feel slight pain or pressure that push my flexibility and discipline to breathe through my sensations. This slow, meditative yin-yoga practice is designed to mindfully stress your body’s connective tissue as you breathe into the changing sensations that come from holding the position over a short period of time. All the turns and bends in this practice is detoxifying in nature and the atmosphere creates a space where you can release inhibiting mind patterns and psychological pain. Yin Yoga promotes the process of letting go understanding that often time, where you feel pain or inflexibility is where trauma is stored. Physical tension is the manifestation of emotional trauma.
The universe is always providing lessons if we quiet ourselves enough to see these brilliant and tailor-made insights. It is often in places of discomfort and possibly some pain, that our lessons of growth and self-discovery are made known. As I laid in a position that stretched out my hip bone, the pain that was initially there slowly (ever so slowly) subsided as I disciplined myself to breathe through it and instead of tensing up, I relaxed my muscles as I let my body rest into this uncomfortable but yet powerful position.
Oftentimes, as we progress toward our goals, life brings us to a decision point. You can either live a life that is comfortable, knowing that you are not functioning at your highest potential or push yourself to a level that may seem uncomfortable, knowing that if you steady yourself through this season, you will make it to a fuller and more satisfying life. Discovering and subsequently mastering your potential is an exhilarating proposition that I bring to you. Your abilities far exceed what your limiting beliefs would have you accept. You are so amazingly powerful and the world wants to see you thrive so that others that are divinely connected to your success can realize who they are and what they are capable of achieving….but in order for that divine cycle to commence, you must first learn to surrender. May you bend in the direction of your purpose and settle into a higher level of intention.
See article as published on Medium: https://coach-angela-kerri.medium.com/just-surrender-already-657e60022071