My favorite lesson learned from yoga

When I was younger, my grandmother heard I was attending a yoga class and she immediately gave me the side eye and told me I shouldn’t participate in “those kind” of activities. She was a devout catholic and had the belief that yoga was a practice of worshipping statues and other non-catholic beliefs.

I heard her, but needed to experience it myself in order to really believe it. And so I attended my first class and decided that it was a “safe” space for me.

I’m so grateful I did because yoga has become a great source of self care and self exploration for me.

My last hot yoga experience reminded me of my favorite concept:

4 corners of the mat

This concept is so powerful to me. Picture yourself lying on a yoga mat with your eyes closed. You know exactly where the 4 corners are and it gives you a boundary to focus on only you. The instructor often reminds you that the room is not for comparison or competition with others, but a space for you to evaluate what YOU need on the 4 corners of your mat. Along my practice I am reminded of this concept as I sometimes need to do something different than what the instructor is asking us to do. When I feel pain or dizziness, I know to slow down or even stop. This alone use to send me into a shame cycle and I would want to push through in order to prove something. But over the years of practice, I have been able to identify what’s best for me and can easily stop or slow down without self judgement.

Isn’t that such a beautiful gift to give yourself? To know what is best for you and to honor it without judgement.

This concept has allowed me to take this idea of the 4 corners into my personal life as well. I, like many, can be influenced by what other people think, so much so, that I lose sight of my own opinions. When I notice this happening, I remind myself to stop and think about my 4 corners and to evaluate what I need most. It has helped me become more confident in my decision making as I no longer strive to please everyone else. I know that making decisions based on what’s best for my 4 corners is what is best for me and it may not make everyone happy, but at least I know I have my own peace and confidence at the end of the day.

i know it’s not for everyone and that’s ok! It works for me and I share in hopes that one woman hears something that will inspire her to take action in order to create whatever it is that she is craving in her life!

As always,

Living in love……Kristie