Leaning into trust can shape your life for the better.
Where do you feel stress in your body? Have you ever noticed?
Is it a tightness in your chest, or a heaviness in your forehead? It could be a nervous frenzy in your fingers, an unsettling feeling in your stomach, or maybe a combination of all the above.
The past year and a half has been hard. Like, really hard. As yoga teachers and practitioners, we are fortunate enough to have incredible tools available to us, based on the mindfulness practices we have put into place. Wellness routines and rituals are important, necessary, and SO powerful in some instances.
And sometimes, we all just need to take a break—a breather from all the breathing exercises.
At the beginning of 2021, I was feeling some shame around how all of these incredible mindfulness tools I’ve brought into my life just weren’t helping like they used to. The high stress and anxiety that permeates our world now is heavy, and exhausting. So, of course, another juice cleanse should do the trick, right?
No?
Okay, maybe a 30-day meditation challenge? Or another virtual yoga class? A run? Order the newest personal development book?
I realized in my rush to find something to help me cope, I was seeking outside of myself. I was focused on what else I could be doing, and this was leading me away from just being with myself.
And this makes sense! Society and culture have continued to teach us that we do not fully understand ourselves, and we must seek external experts to find how we can be our “best” selves”. Examples of this can be seen in all areas of life:
What our bodies should look like
What degrees we should earn
What roles we should inherently excel at
I’ve decided that my “best self” is the self who resides within my own inherent wisdom and that wisdom comes from my listening to my own body.
Throughout all of this seeking, I was also trying to pick the perfect word of the year. (Another thing I kept pushing down my “self-care task list”.)
I started to tune in and ask myself, “What am I really trying to solve with my word of the year?” And it came down to stress. I want to be less stressed and less anxious and more sure of myself, ideas, and abilities.
So I went further: what is causing me stress?
I wanted to better understand what those outside influences were making me feel internally. I was feeling unsure of myself; I was feeling incapable and powerless and crushing amounts of self-doubt.
So what did I need to do?
TRUST.
When I decided to try on the word “Trust” for my word of the year, the Universe winked and said, “Alright, are you ready for this?”
Does this sound familiar? You’re working on a project, but your mind is being pulled in another direction because you “should” be working on that other thing instead. So you shift gears, but now you’re feeling guilty for abandoning that other project. But, oh yeah, you’re ALSO supposed to be doing this other thing and people are depending on you and you’re literally just letting every single person down.
As I was trying on my word of the year, I realized most of my stress came down to me not trusting that what I was saying, doing, or being in that moment was the “right” thing to be saying, doing, or being.
I would continually second guess if what I was doing was the “right” choice, and in doing so it did two things:
The quality of my attention and awareness plummeted because I was feeling the need to hold space for multiple different “shoulds” at one time.
Those physical cues I stated earlier? They would start up in force.
After making this realization, I created a new intention for myself to help me alleviate and avoid unnecessary stress reactions:
I am making the right choice because it’s the one I’m making.
This simple phrase has become an incredible tool for me to shift out of my stress reaction into a place of choice. I encourage you to try out this intention!
When you notice stress happening (again, I’ll point to those physical cues because our bodies know what’s up), take a moment to go in. Notice, where are you actually experiencing the stress in your body?
From there, you can chart where the cause meets the effect. If you find yourself doubting your experience, remember
to trust yourself. And listen to the wisdom of your body.
Learning that most of my stress is unnecessary and self-inflicted has opened me up to be more creative and curious and joyful in my life responsibilities—it reminds me I am utilizing my power of choice. I am choosing
to bring my valuable time, attention, and energy to this current thing, which means it’s what I’m meant to be focusing on. Because it’s what I chose.
NOTE: This post is part of a collaborative media series organized and curated by Omstars and the Yoga & Body Image Coalition intended as a deep dive into yoga & body image.
Jordan Page is a traveling nomad who takes her love of yoga with her everywhere she goes. She also believes you can learn a lot about someone from their Hogwarts House. After completing yoga teacher training in 2017, she and her husband converted a school bus into
their tiny home in which they now live and travel full-time. She has taught yoga in multiple states around the U.S. and in 2019 she completed her professional coach training through iPEC and earned her CPC. Through yoga and coaching, she works to empower and inspire women to own the life of their choosing through conscious, purposeful intention. She is purposefully living, while not taking things too seriously.
Find on on Instagram here and here.
Photo by Ismael Sanchez from Pexels
