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I've always been proud of my discipline. It's on my resume: my organizational skills, my work ethic. It's won me straight As, scholarships, degrees, and promotions.
It's also burned me out, more than once.
I'm been sick. I've been exhausted. I've been depressed and anxious. I've been in chronic pain. And I've looked to the next thing for change, only to have it all happen again.
Today, when I reflect on tapas, on the purifying fire of discipline, I think of it a little differently.
Fire needs fuel and it needs oxygen. If you smother it, it won't burn.
For a long time I was misusing my discipline to avoid being with the truth of where I was.
But the discipline of spiritual practice is not just about doing, and it's certainly not about doing more. It's about honing in on what matters. It's about giving yourself the space to breathe, using your energy where it best serves.
Rest is also a discipline.
Letting go is also a discipline.
Mindful awareness is also a discipline.
All the doing comes relatively easy to me (though at a cost). Where the real challenge lies is undoing all those patterns. Getting really quiet. Being still. Feeling what's true. And all in a way that's a little softer, that's not trying to force my way in anywhere, not trying to change anything.
That's my practice. Who's with me?
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Image description: a blue square on a turquoise background. White lettering inside the square reads: “Rest is a discipline."
Sometimes 50 new things converge on the same week in mid-June. And even though they’re mostly exciting and hoped-for things, it’s a lot. 😳
This is when I’m really grateful that my yoga practice is not so much about poses.
I’m so glad that I know how to tune into the messages I feel in my body.
That I understand the signs that I need more support and rest, and how to provide that for myself.
That I have the ability to observe my emotions, thoughts, and beliefs as they unfold - from a place that isn’t absorbed in them.
That I’m familiar with many of the obstacles I put in my own path.
That I’ve built habits of kindness and acceptance.
And I’m so grateful that I know the part of myself that is constant and at peace.
The thing about change is it's never done. Sometimes it gets quiet for a while & then the signals start coming through. It's time to transform again.
I've been feeling that it's time to level up my commitment to myself, to rest & the way I listen to my body - and it reminds me that this is a good time to call on my community.
Because breaking out of a habitual pattern - whether it's how you move your leg bone in your hip socket or how you respond to a stressful situation - is hard.
We tend to beat ourselves up when we don't get it right away, like anyone should be able to do it, but this is really hard stuff. It's normal to fall back into our old ways of doing things.
After all, you do what you do because there's safety in it. At some point, that strategy worked on some level, maybe even helped you to thrive. And because the habitual pattern is understood as safe, changing it feels by definition unsafe, even when the pattern is no longer serving you. That perceived lack of safety can be why you keep going back to the way things were.
If you're not getting the results you want, it may be time to try something new. To change a pattern, look at how you can add more support. Support can be many things: improving how your body parts work together, using props, drawing on your community, creating an organizational tool - anything that shows your nervous system that it's safe to do things a different way.
And most importantly, know that when change is hard, it's not you. Change 𝙞𝙨 hard. And we're not meant to do it alone.
I support my clients to change movement patterns, breathing patterns, and rest patterns - and sometimes they choose to change other patterns too. If you're interested in this kind of support, please send me DM, or click the link in my bio. A free consultation call is the best way to find out if we're a good fit to work together & to grab a spot on my waitlist.
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Image description: Two slides with a blue square on a turquoise background. White lettering inside the square reads 1: "Change is hard for a reason." 2: "We aren't meant to do it alone."
Those of us who get around by walking often relate to the earth through our feet. 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons in each foot, and more nerve endings per surface area than anywhere else in the body provide sensory input, support, structure, and movement potential. Your feet respond to the surfaces beneath them and the forces that move through them as you stand, walk, run, dance, lift heavy things, and do yoga asana. And if your feet are your connection to the ground as you move around, what happens in your feet directly affects (and is affected by) your ankles, knees, hips and beyond.
When I do yoga therapy work, I tend to start with the cornerstones of hips, shoulders, spine, and breath. But if someone comes to me with pain in the low back and below, especially if they walk or run (or want to), it's a good bet that we'll work on the feet at some point. And then it can be really fun just to see what the results are. I've seen the feet affect balance, hip mobility, calf and hamstring tightness, breathing, and more.
If you're curious about ways to work with your feet - and connect that work to what's happening in your hips and legs - I'll be sharing lots about that on social media this month, so make sure to follow this page and check in regularly. I also have a fun online workshop coming up on June 26th called Health From the Ground Up. This therapeutic yoga workshop is all about the hips, feet and legs. You can find out more via the link in my bio (and while you’re there, join my mailing list for an exclusive early-bird discount code coming out next week 😘).
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Image description: A greyscale image of a pair of dark-skinned human legs viewed from behind and slightly to the right. The person is standing on their left foot, and their right knee is bent with the toes on the ground and the heel lifted, revealing the sole of the foot.
I used to see my struggles mostly as problems that needed to be overcome - or avoided altogether. My pain meant my body was breaking down. My compensations were failures. Certain poses were never to be done again.
I now see my areas of difficulty in a new light because I know that the things that challenge me are my greatest assets in my journey towards healing. I know that sounds cheesy, but hear me out. I'm not telling you that you have to think positive or love your obstacles. Not at all. I am saying that that which stands in your way is a messenger. That thing you're struggling with is telling you something about how to move forward.
Take a yoga therapy example. When a client comes to me & a certain hip movement is a challenge for them, that movement becomes a touchstone for our work together. Not because the client needs to fix it, but because that particular movement is telling us something important about what's working & what's not. When they do the challenging movement, we can start to understand patterns, like how the shoulders like to brace & support the hips to move. Then as we work together, we can return to check in with the challenging movement from time to time to see what's changed. The perceived obstacle is the thing that tells us when we're providing the client's system with the right support to move & feel better.
On the other hand, we can do the movements that work well as much as we want. That doesn't do any harm, but it doesn't change anything either. The things that challenge us are the very things that reveal to us what change is possible. Ultimately, they show us the way.
It starts with becoming aware & choosing to pay attention to the things you struggle with. It helps to bring a whole lot of kindness, curiosity & patience.
Want some support with this process? Join me for Therapeutic Yoga for Shoulders & Hips at starting 6/6, or send me a DM for recommendations.
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Image description: a blue square on a turquoise background. White lettering inside the square reads: "That thing you're struggling with? It's not a failure. It's a messenger."
It's hard to believe, but June is almost here - and registration is closing soon for all three of these new programs.
𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
✨ 𝘈𝘺𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤 𝘠𝘰𝘨𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 - Learn how to use your yoga practice along with the holistic health science of Ayurveda to support your health no matter what's going on. No experience or knowledge of yoga or Ayurveda needed - these classes are suitable for anyone who can get on and off the floor with ease.
✨ 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘨𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 - Gentle Yoga is all about slowing down and tuning into your body. This practice is highly adaptable, and can be done on the floor or on your furniture. All poses will be done either seated or lying down.
𝗜𝗻-𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺
✨ 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘠𝘰𝘨𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘱𝘴 @𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘨𝘢 - If you have pain, tension, or limited mobility in your shoulders or hips, this program is for you! Learn the basic principles of my yoga-based approach to relieving shoulder and hip symptoms in this small-group program. No experience needed - suitable for anyone who can get on and off the floor with ease.
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Head up to my Stories for more information about each of these programs, as well as the links to learn more and sign up to join me. DM me with any questions - I'd love to see you or send you my recordings this month. Or - since Facebook is more link friendly than Instagram - you can find all the details here:
http://rachelishiguroyoga.com/group-classes-and-workshops
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Image description: Rachel is squatting on a white wall. She’s gazing off into the distance with a slight smile on her face. In the wall above her is a small window with a green frame. Black letters in an arc over her head read: June programs are about to launch! Registration closes soon.
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