How Do You Meet Challenge?

I recently had an interesting chat with someone about ‘challenges’ (specific to yoga and movement).

This person told me that they find it so frustrating when they ‘can’t do something' (a pose or transition) that they’d rather not even make an attempt…that they simply shut off to it.

I found this intriguing because it’s the diametric opposite of the way in which I’ve tended to approach movement challenges myself. My frustration at not being able to do something has usually ended up with me focusing on it obsessively until I either work it out, or concede that it’s definitely beyond my capabilities.

Admittedly this has not always ended well. I’ve certainly suffered injuries in the past as a result of this headlong approach but I like to believe that these days I’m somewhat more considered in my practice (at least most of the time…samskaras will be samskaras!).

But I do believe that it’s important for us to mindfully embrace challenge - to gently probe our boundaries and preconceptions about what we believe is possible (not only in terms of movement, but in life too). Often (though admittedly not always) the movement will come in its own good time and we end up surprising ourselves.

Of course I’m conscious of what is realistically possible - I’m in my 40s now so am unlikely to learn how to do a triple back somersault with pike. But there are certainly still movement challenges and poses that I’m exploring and working towards. I don’t know if I’ll ever ‘get’ them but I’m genuinely finding enjoyment, and a lot of value, in the journey of exploration.

It’s also good to bring to mind that many of things we can do now may once have felt ‘impossible’. It sounds ridiculous but before I started practising yoga I literally could not cross my legs in a seated position…at least not without using my hands to forcibly lift one thigh over the other. 

In comparison to that admittedly low bar my current movement capacity seems pretty good…and ultimately, cultivating a sense of contentment and gratitude for the things we do have, rather than frustration about those we don’t, is a much more valuable gift of practice than the ability to take full lotus.

So my advice would be to set your movement goals, but to hold them lightly - try to enjoy that journey and see where it takes you, knowing that we all have a different starting point and that the end point may be somewhere very different than you’d first intended.