The past week I’ve been sharing with my classes a tiny mental shift. Tiny but hopefully very helpful. I share it with them when we’re nearing the end of the practice. When everyone is tired, drained, and some of them are sending a subtle yet mildly murderous glance my way as I tell them to hold boat pose (navasana) for another 5 breaths.
“Do you feel that deep burn in your muscles?”
They nod in exasperation.
“That feeling is something you’ve been working towards this whole practice.”
They look at me like I’m nuts.
“Think about it. You’ve just spent 70 plus minutes working the body to get to the point where you feel that deep burn. And yet our mind, when it encounters this feeling immediately says – I don’t want to be here anymore!! You should have stayed home and watched Netflix you fool!”
They giggle in agreement.
“See if you can shift your mindset towards this type of pain and discomfort. Pain in a workout is inevitable. When you do feel the burn, can you welcome it in, almost like an old friend, knowing that this type of pain will lead to growth and deeper strength later on down the line?”
After sharing this mental trick, I watch how their faces shift from murderous and drained to steely determination in the midst of tiredness. They do that final set of boat pose with such gusto, digging deep into their reserves. The energy in the room flourishes and they are out like a light once we get to sivasana.
I’ve been applying this mindset to my workouts for years. It all started back in my rowing days. Whenever I would feel lactic acid build up in my legs, I would try to remain calm and choose a quiet mind even though my body was reading me the riot act. Somedays this worked better than others.
Yoga allowed me to really improve this ability to deal with pain and discomfort by countering it with mental calm. The physical postures I learned to hold definitely caused initial unease. However, the breathing techniques and constant reminders to keep a calm mind in the midst of this ickiness were the real game changers.
This is not to say that one should seek out pain. It’s important to differentiate between good pain, and bad pain. Good pain is the kind that ultimately improves the body. For example – if you lift weights, it’s that deep burn you feel when you’re on that third and final set. When you just don’t want to do those last five squats because, dear sweet lord, if you go down you might not come back up. Bad pain, is the contorting of muscle and bone into positions they are not ready for. Sharp stabbing feelings or the sensation of tearing muscles. Not a pretty picture, or description, but all too often we push ourselves to this point of pain thinking we’re getting somewhere, when really we’re backing ourselves into a corner.
This is also where yoga came in handy. It taught me how to tell the difference between strengthening and self harm. It taught me how to find my edge, but also kept me from jumping off the cliff of bad pain into an abyss of regret.
Without me realizing it, this acceptance of inevitable, healthy pain and discomfort snuck off of the mat and into my day to day life.
When I was stressed out at work, experiencing the discomfort of a deadline, or the demands of my boss, I realized my mind was able to find that calm place more easily. I would react less, breathe more, and perform my work without getting flustered.
When I would hear sad news about family and friends; a loved one passing away or a horrible diagnosis, certainly I’d feel sadness and anger, but it wouldn’t incapacitate me like it had in the past. I would be able to mourn alongside those who were experiencing this pain, while holding love in my heart and body instead. I would offer it to them as a small token of hope in dark times.
When I encountered failure, my own physical pain, sickness, or depression. These things didn’t stop happening because I practiced yoga. These things became more manageable because of the practice.
I don’t practice yoga to make pain magically disappear. I don’t practice yoga to find some seventh plain of existence where being a human being suddenly stops and you transcend the experience of pain, joy and emotions of all colours. Life doesn’t get easier. We, however can get stronger and more savvy in the midst of life and what it serves up.
I practice yoga to keep perspective in moments of unease. I practice yoga for the times when my mind says, “You idiot, you should have stayed home and watched Netflix.”
I’m not a pain seeker. I am however on a constant quest to find peace and the middle ground. I want that place of mental and emotional balance to be so easy to access, even when things around me or inside of me seem to be spiraling out of control. I have become a peace seeker.
Pain and discomfort in life are inevitable. The mental shift to a place of calm and acceptance in the midst of pain is a paradigm shift worth cultivating. It’s a paradigm shift yoga tends to make more accessible.
All of this is to say I hope you find peace in the midst of pain. I hope you choose joy in the midst of sorrow. I hope your relationship towards discomfort changes so much that you can deal with it with such grace and ease it surprises even yourself. I hope these things for myself and all others. Namaste.
