What if you found a way to harness more energy but first, you had to become the vessel for that energy?
This is not magic nor a new concept but it is an often understated and over looked reason as to why you should drag yourself to do something that you don’t have the energy (yet) to do. We tell ourselves “ I know I’ll feel better after I get into a habit” but the majority of us, who don’t approach fitness with the right mindset, never stick it out long enough to truly notice the returns on our effort.
Often times when we start a workout routine we see it in terms of minutes that drag on or a mountain that needs to be climbed. Our mind will try to convince us that our attention is better applied elsewhere and the workout feels discouraging. We sometimes even try to look too far into the future and believe a certain end-goal “look” is the target. This mindset leads to mental fatigue, resistance, and believing ourselves to be “less” when we believe we’re not actually making head way. We keep moving the goal post around and still end up dissatisfied
This is where a yogic mindset becomes the magic sauce. Yes, I said it wasn’t magic, but it honestly can be considered magical once you see how it shift everything. When we treat our workouts like a practice that builds day by day to a goal of being more capable of holding energy than the day before, it seems to turn the mountain into more climbable mole hills. This, coupled with a “play and discover” mindset, is a recipe for success. Yoga means union, we must connect our desire for more physical activity to our core essence. It needs to become a part of who you are now if you want to see changes.
The energy your body can expend is increased through putting it through periods of stress that it must adapt to. When this is coupled with a diet that is fresh, nutritious and complete AND a knowledge of the energies associated with each body part, the effects happen quicker. Scientific research proves an active lifestyle increases over all wellbeing, mobility, and longevity. The question you should ask yourself is “What part of me will stop me from being my most energetic self?” Meditate on how you plan on dealing with that part of yourself. That part might need to starve or you might be able to work around it (or with it) if you identify it as a necessary part of the life you wish to live.
Tips:
Open your mind to your inner child:
Ask them what their idea of playing is, or better, ask them if they could participate in any physical activity with a friend or a bunch of friends, what would it be? Don’t fall into the trap that physical play time is just for developing young bodies. Go Do the the thing your younger self would hope you would do.
Get over yourself:
Sometimes, I feel that pressure to perform well around others. I would rather blend in than stand out for something embarrassing. My first yoga teacher told me that “Shyness is a disease of the ego”. This means that we think ourselves so important that we assume everyone else is thinking about us. Now, this might be due to an unresolved trauma, but typically it’s something we’ve been allowing to fester for far too long in our psyche. The truth is, we are a part of the whole, wether we like it or not. I have to get over myself in order to make myself move forward for myself and for all of humanity. You might have to tap into a different version of yourself in order to propel yourself towards what you really want. Make sure that version you create feels authentic and not like another mask that draws in shame from within.
Prove it to yourself:
Track the times you have been active and how you felt before and after by days, weeks, and months. Stick this out for a year at least to get some good data for yourself. 😉 Any good trainer will tell you that progress takes consistency.
So, the next time you’re dreading your “new fitness routine”, try seeing it as increasing your capacity to hold energy and raising your vibration overall.
SUNYATA YOGA 