Shortly after I moved to Arizona, I signed up for a couple months of classes at a local yoga studio. I had a couple of favorite teachers, but one of them would always do a difficult sequence in the middle with a lot of long holds in a single pose.
One day, we were moving in and out of warrior ii for what felt like forever. My legs were on fire.
Then I noticed something. Every muscle in my leg was tensing up. That tension was radiating up my body, too. I noticed tension in my mind, too: “when will this be over? This hurts. Maybe I should come up just a little bit. Ugh, come on, it’s been long enough!” Just about every fiber in my body was fighting against that pose.
Then I had a breakthrough: I realized I didn’t have to be so tense. I took a deep breath and tried to release all the tension accumulating from the extra-long pose. I tried to envision my bones holding me up instead of my muscles. Before long, I probably had lost 80% of the tension I was holding on to. I was shocked at how much easier everything felt, and how quickly it happened. It hit me like a ton of bricks: I was just wasting all this energy fighting and fighting. It didn’t have to be so hard. I was the one making it that way.
Photos by: Julia Romano Photography
Outfit: Koral Activewear crops, lululemon tank and pullover
I had heard many yoga teachers tell their class to “find ease in the pose”, but I never really knew what it meant until then. Yes, you are working, but only as hard as you have to be.
It might seem like a paradox, but it works. I took that lesson with me to other workouts, too. When the effort seems like too much, don’t strain harder. Instead, look for ways to relax. My face used to hurt a lot after running even very short, <1 mile distances. I realized I was clenching my jaw the whole time. I noticed that when I held a barbell for a back squat, I not only death-gripped the bar, I was actually pulling it downward against my shoulders. Before I would do a box jump, most of my body would tense up. All of it was totally unnecessary tension and strain.
Of course, I’m not always great at putting this into practice. I still grimace and hold tension in my shoulders when I don’t need to. But the more you’re aware of it, the more you can refocus your energy where you really need it. And the more you work on it, the more you can find relaxation, even in the midst of something hard. It’s quite the analogy for life, too.
Try it next time you’re struggling through your workout. Find ease in your effort. Be light. Focus your energy only where it matters and let go of the rest.
This is great! Reminds me of an epiphany I had a short while ago – I’d always thought the phrase “live in the moment” was kinda dumb (don’t we all live in the moment, all the time, whether we’re aware of it or not?) but the full meaning of it finally dawned on me about a year ago. And it was a godsend because I have severe anxiety, which had stripped me of living in the moment for about 80% of my life and I was so used to that I didn’t realize it was happening.
All that to say, you’re right – it doesn’t have to be so hard. And like you, I’m still working at it. But I’m just so glad to know now that it’s an option.
Yeah, that’s another thing that is so simple and yet can take hearing it 10,000 times before it makes sense. Speaking of mindfulness, consider reading Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn. :)
Suzanne, I have been enjoying your latest blog posts – fresh, thoughtful, and informative. Keep up with the great work!
I know this is OT. I am wondering what you use for your everyday skincare and makeup. As I get older, I realize the importance of maintaining and enhancing my skin health as much as my physical and mental health. As a scientist, I have done a lot of research including attending a symposium on polymer in cosmetics in the most recent ACS meeting. Yes, I know, I am a nerd :). I am just curious what you have adopted in your routine.
Thanks so much! :) I’m finally getting the hang of writing more long-form posts. It’s nice to switch things up, instead of posting a steady stream of news, reviews, and outfits.
Re: beauty, I had been rolling around the idea of doing a skincare post, but I’m back and forth on whether it’s too off-topic. One thing I do recommend for general skincare info is Beautypedia: http://www.paulaschoice.com/beautypedia/ I like that her website includes citations to actual peer-reviewed research. There’s actual substance instead of some brand just using buzzwords about all the health benefits. You can look up reviews both by brand or simply by ingredient. I’m sure it’s not perfect, but it feels like a lot less BS than a brand’s own marketing. I mostly use it as a starting point for my hunt and a way to triage options I’m considering.
This is so true. I’m an 80’s girl that grew up looking up to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Lee and I loved their mentality of putting your mind into your work outs. It’s amazing what the body can do when you put your mind to it. Now that I’m in my 40’s I’ve switched from running and kickboxing to lower impact workouts like Barre, lifting, and hiking. I will be in a barre class and my legs will be shaking uncontrollably and I often get asked by people how I am able to not come out of the movement and I joke about Bruce Lee telling me to “be like water.” The truth is that if you do relax and breathe you can push yourself through things you think you can’t. Its the same with flexibility training. You can get more out of it if your not tensing up and if you train the muscle to relax.
Yes! I love the mental aspect of physical challenge. My fiance was part of a particularly grueling adventure race which included a special ops guy from the military. He said that when you think you are completely and totally done, physically, you’re actually only at about 20% of your true limit. I of course no personal experience in any circumstance as demanding as military combat, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s right.
Wow! Great post. Your blog has come so far. Just wanted to say that I think you’re doing an amazing job!
I needed to read this today. <3
Thank you so much, Lisa! I’ve learned so much in the past 2+ years and I love to keep trying new things and challenging myself in new ways as a writer. I’m glad this post could have a positive impact for you. :)