BREATHING THROUGH DISCOMFORT

There's been a lot happening in my life lately. And pretty much all of it is incredibly exciting, positive, fantastic stuff.

For starters, we're moving. We're not moving far, but we are moving to a city we've never lived in before and a neighbourhood we think we're going to love.

The new place will give our family more space, more quiet, and more ease, financially. So it's really great news.

The man-children are growing up. Our eldest, about to go into his fourth year of University next year, is really ready to move out. He's making plans, now, to move out by the end of the summer. He'll be 21 years old in February. It's about the right time. I'm so excited for him. And yet, it does represent a major change in the day to day life of our little family.

My career path and focus is undergoing a huge transformation. I'm working towards shifting my focus from what I've done my entire life, to pursuing teaching Yoga more. For now, this transformation is happening internally. But eventually the external situations will need to change to allow this major change to occur. It will eventually be time to take a big risk. And that time is coming.

So while I'm excited about all of these positive changes in my family's and my life, I'm also uncomfortable. I'm really uncomfortable.

And so I come back to my Yoga practice for wisdom. As always, I find it. You see, on the mat I often experience discomfort. I never allow myself to stay in a place of pain, of course. Pain is a signal to your body that something is going wrong. But discomfort, oh yeah, I feel that all the time. Sometimes, I feel it because I'm deep into a stretch that is working a particularly sensitive part of my body. Sometimes I'm uncomfortable because a pose is bringing up unpleasant emotions for me. Sometimes I'm just uncomfortable because my muscles are working harder than I'm in the mood to work them.

But every time I experience discomfort on my mat, and I can allow myself to stay with the sensation, send my breath to the areas of my body, mind, heart, and soul that need it, something wonderful happens.

That thing that happens, that shift, is where some of the most potent magic of my yoga practice lives. Each time I experience that, there is a tiny transformation that takes place in my practice and on my mat.

Sometimes, that shift is a physical sensation of greater ease in my body following the pose that brought up the discomfort.

But, sometimes, that shift happens when that tiny voice in my heart whispers, "See, that wasn't so scary.".

In life, just like in Yoga, sometimes we are uncomfortable. Life is going to throw things at us: things that challenge our beliefs, or our sense of security, or that take us way, way outside of our comfort zone.

What matters is what we do in those moments - because it is what we do during the discomfort that determines what we take away from the experience.

Next time you find yourself feeling uncomfortable. Focus on your breath. Bring your awareness to the present moment. And if it's appropriate for you, allow yourself to experience the discomfort and breathe through it. Afterward, notice how you feel.

Do you feel a shift?

Did you find the magic?

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