Anyway, one of my core desired feelings for all aspects of my life this year is COURAGE. I want to feel courageous in my relationships, in yoga, as a researcher, and especially as a traveler. In case you missed it last time, I have a big trip coming up. Courage not only shows up in buying the plane tickets and getting on the plane (um, or off the plane, I suppose), but also in my ability to recognize fear, anxiety, and sadness about the unknown as they come up and move forward anyway, knowing that I am doing exactly what I want to do and it will help take me where I want to go in my future.
Because as Brene Brown says:
"… most of us are brave and afraid in the exact same moment all day long."
One of my greatest sources of inspiration as I work towards feeling courageous has come from the Monday night yoga class I teach. It's not a big class - usually around 8 people - but there are definitely all levels of students that show up for my admittedly pretty intense class. A few people are quite advanced, some have been doing yoga for years and have wonderful alignment, and others are total newbies, all with different levels of yoga-knowledge. And the most wonderful and inspiring moments come when I ask them to try new poses or sequences that are SERIOUSLY challenging. These amazing students' willingness to attempt to hover their face above the floor while balancing one leg on top of their arm, or move through a quad-burning, balance-challenging, heart-pumping sequence, or even to choose to use a block for support when the person next to them is balancing on her head -- this is true, inspiring courage. Every week they show up, every week they face fear, uncertainty, discomfort, and vulnerability, and every week they inspire me to do the same. They inspire me to face my fear, to sit with discomfort and be courageous about it, and to practice vulnerability.
When I am teaching a yoga class and guiding people to be courageous and go after what they want, I know the students feel like I am giving something of myself to them. But the truth is that in that 1 hour - one of the best hours of my week - they are giving me so much more: they are inspiring me to be courageous and to go after what I want.
So, here's to the next few weeks of feeling courageous and EXCITED, even (especially) in the face of fear and anxiety of what's to come…
From my heart to yours...