The other night I went to what I call “Jersey Yoga.” It’s a bit of a tough class, but I love my friend, Renee, the instructor. I always walk away with something valuable when I go. Unlike me, Renee is extremely flexible and a teacher at heart, so teaching yoga comes easy for her, and I can tell it brings her happiness.
She started class with her thoughts about doing things that don’t come naturally. Renee talked the guitar she’s always wanted to play has carried around with her for the past 10 years. The part that made her uncomfortable was the upstroke – it was awkward for her and made want to stop trying. But Renee kept at it because she did want to learn. Recently she made a small adjustment to how she was holding the guitar that allowed the upstroke to flow comfortably and create the nice sound it was supposed to. Pressing on led to a small breakthrough that gave her great joy on her musical journey.
She shared that story with us and challenged us to be self-teachers during the class, doing things that might be uncomfortable for the possibility of that joyful breakthrough. During the class, I made small adjustments, experimenting and discovering how this old stiff body could do more. What was even cooler was watching these 2 guys practice forearm stands, and making the changes that allowed them to actually do it for the first time. I could tell they had a big sense of accomplishment.
If you keep doing what comes naturally, you will certainly find happiness, but if you can push through something uncomfortable, you may find a deeper joy to experience.
Noticing Joy from the Uncomfortable,
Bernadette
