Yoga Cultivates Resilience, IBY Teachers Tell Us How
re·sil·ience – noun
the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.
the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
Body Of Proof: How do I spell 'recovery day?' Y-O-G-A. – Daneen Farrall
Yesterday, my body carried me 10 joint jolting miles. Today, I thanked it by breathing into the space between the four corners of my sticky mat.
In this sacred space I allow myself to be, feel, and consequently heal. It might not look like a trampoline, but my mat allows me to bounce back time and time again.
We’re all given a mountain to climb in our lifetime. – Sally Brooks
Compared to the challenges that another person will face, ours may seem like Mt. Everest or merely a tiny speed bump. There’s no point in comparing your own mountain to that of another, because whatever you’re given, it will feel steep to you.
But steep climbs make strong legs, and tall mountains give us great vantage points. And you don’t have to be at the top of the mountain to enjoy the view. So make sure you take time each day to stop, rest, and catch your breath. Turn away from the mountain for a few moments and enjoy what there is to see all around it. And then start climbing again, and if you ever reach the top you may even discover that you love your mountain, for it is your life.
These words came to me at a time of huge growth and challenge in my life. I was called upon to show up bigger and brighter than ever before as a yoga teacher, an opportunity that excited me but stirred up an almost crippling self-doubt every single day. Simultaneously, life off the mat decided to throw me one huge curve ball after the other.
It was during this time that Mountain pose became my salvation--nothing fancy, just the simple act of standing tall and true in my own skin, with feet on the ground even as I rose upward toward the sky, feeling breath move through me. Mountain pose gave me the courage to keep climbing, to relentlessly rise above doubt one step at a time in order to move toward my highest potential. But more importantly, Mountain Pose helped me to stop struggling so much and realize that I am already everything I need to be. I wish each of you the courage to keep moving onward and upward in your own journey, and also the courage to be still and see your own greatness.
Resilience is loving yourself enough to keep trying. – Marisa Tingle
The resilient person knows that every perceived misstep carries with it a teaching meant to grow them into the person they are meant to become. The resilient person recognizes that comfort over time leads to complacency and that discomfort wakes us up to a more expansive life. Our reach becomes wider than we could ever imagine as we trust the quiet wisdom within our own breath, as we commit to being led--and then, by example, we lead.
We build resilience in yoga class when we step up to our edge and peer over. When we see our shaking legs as willingness rather than weakness, we build resilience. When we choose to stay for 5 calm breaths without suffering we build resilience.
“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you can see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.” Kurt Vonnegut.