Hello, Self-doubt
It had been three years since I last walked through those doors.
Three years ago, I was a regular at that hot yoga studio; at least for a few months before I got injured and had to stop.
Yesterday I returned to the studio for the first time in three years. I was super hesitant and rather anxious. When I arrived, I sadly told the instructor that I likely wasn’t going to be able to keep up.
I assumed I’d spend most of the class panting on my mat, praying for a quick and merciful ending to the class.
Hot yoga is a very intense workout. When I first started, it took 12 classes before I got through the entire class without any breaks or modifications.
I cried after that 12th class — it felt like a huge accomplishment.
And here I was, humbled at square one, well aware of the hard road ahead.
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The magic words
As I took my place on my mat yesterday, I was prepared to struggle through the class. I did not expect much from myself.
I vaguely remembered the flow. It’s pretty hard core, especially in a room heated to 104 degrees.
My body wasn’t used to this.
As I waited for class to begin, I settled into childs pose, placing my forehead on the mat. And then the thoughts come to me.
“Let this class be amazing… let it restore me, rejuvenate me, strengthen me… I am going to impress myself today.”
And then the class began, gently at first and quickly moving into intense stretches, balancing poses, and flows that I once knew.
Somehow, I found myself keeping up with the class; I was holding the poses and going further in my stretches than I recalled doing in the past.
To my utter amazement, I did the entire class with no breaks or major modifications. I felt oddly strong throughout the entire class.
I wasn’t perfect, I wobbled a lot, and I worked extra hard, but I did exactly what I intended when I started the class — I impressed myself.
Our words matter. Mine certainly did.
I changed the outcome of that class by changing the words I walked in the door with.
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Taking it with me
When I left the studio, I took those words with me. I realized the power of what I had done, and I was curious to see if they would work yet again.
I had a full evening ahead — two different events — and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Truth be told, I was feeling a bit pessimistic about my evening plans. Life sometimes lets you down even when you are excited or hopeful about what lies ahead.
As I headed out for my evening, I let those words return to me.
“Let tonight be amazing. Let me be impressed.”
The power of those words did not fail me.
It was a delightfully perfect evening from start to finish.
Not only was the entire evening amazing, but I came home impressed in ways that were far beyond my expectations — and dreams.
When I settled back at home that night, I was in awe of how phenomenal my day had been — which started with that hot yoga class that afternoon, and one simple intention.
Let things be amazing. Let people impress you. Trust that all will be good, joyful and restorative.
And then let yourself receive it — with joy and gratitude. ❤
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Oksana Taran on Unsplash