As I was teaching today, a thought occurred to me.

"The box we live in is constructed by 'I can't.'"

The moment we attempt to do what we think we can not do, we begin to dissolve the walls of our self-created box, and ultimately, our own self-limited existence.

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

I see this all the time in myself, and in the students who are in my classes. So often, I will invite students to do a certain pose which they may not think they have the ability to do. Rather than attempting it, they will keep doing the pose they feel safe doing. Now, there are days when it is best for us to not push ourselves, the body is fatigued, or tired or we just don't feel like it. And, this is ok. But, 90% of the time, when we are feeling like it, the best thing we can do is to attempt something...

Just the mere attempt alone, whether we even get into the pose or not, opens something up in our body, mind and spirit and begins to deconstruct our self-imposed box which keeps us small and limited. Today as students were attempting Bridge Pose, by simply lifting their hips up in the air, while keeping their shoulders on the ground, I encouraged them to at least put their hands by their shoulders. Just that small movement, even though they may make no effort to lift in that moment, will begin to open their vision that much more to being able to see themselves eventually going further in the pose, and maybe even eventually into a full Wheel Pose.

I've been practicing Yoga for 5 years. I have a background in gymnastics and ballet which I studied throughout my childhood. The longer I practice Yoga, the more open I become and the more I open up to envisioning the possibility of anything being possible, including any pose I may have the wish of being able to do. When I first started Yoga, I thought Up Dog was all there was. That Up Dog was only Up Dog and it had no relation to anything else or any other pose. What I realize now is how every single pose is interconnected. One pose leads into another and prepares us to be able to be in another pose at a deeper, more open level.

Now, when I see myself being in Up Dog, I see myself awakening to being able to bend my knees and touch the tips of my toes to my head. I'm happy to say I'm about one inch away after today. I've been practicing this for about two months now. Though there have been times when I've had limiting beliefs about whether or not I'll ever be able to do this, after today, I am confident I will. When I experienced this opening today from this attempt at doing what I thought I may not be able to do, it shifted my entire consciousness on every level. I literally heard a crack (it felt good) in my sternum as I leaned my head back and yearned to feel my toes. The crack felt like it had been waiting all my life to happen right in that moment. Finally!

As I left class, I felt lighter, healthier, freer, younger, more energized, uplifted and empowered than I had felt all day. We can add those to the list, Ms. Roosevelt, too:

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

It is a gift if our Yoga practice reveals to us and shines light on the "I can'ts" we've been limiting ourselves with in our life. Everytime we have the awareness of where we've been holding ourselves back, playing and being small, having limiting beliefs rather than limitless beliefs, we have an incredible and precious opportunity to move through our fear and "Awaken to Our True Potential."

The box will always be there to crawl back into if we want. It's not a bad thing. It helps us to feel secure in an uncertain world. Everytime we attempt what we've thought we're not able to do, it's like we open a window in our box, allow some light to shine in and give ourselves the ability to see out into the Infinite world of Possibility and the Infinite nature of our True Self.

Namaste! Read more