Jun 4, 2020
Facing doubt is already hard, but imagine having to face it without your yoga practice. In this episode of The Yoga Inspiration Podcast, I’m discussing how doubt sometimes kicks us off our mat, and the key ways we can all push through that doubt and stay dedicated to our yoga journey.
What does doubt look like to you?
No one is immune to doubt, especially yogis. For us, yoga is not a clear or linear path. There is no steady upward progress like we see in traditional sports. Sure, it feels like an uphill battle, but we don’t have clear steps to measure to satisfy our egos and analytical minds. That’s why doubt so easily seeps into our mindset.
When you make a mistake, your mind can be extra hard on you. When you just can’t get the asana in practice, your mind can be very hard on you. The ego can be relentless in these moments of frustration and discouragement. You beat yourself up for the lows and don’t give yourself enough credit during the highs because we are doubting ourselves and our practice.
So what do you do when you face down an obstacle?
My very first lesson about facing doubt came to me on the yoga mat. I realized that in this exact moment of doubt and frustration, when I wanted to give up, this was the key moment where I had the power to transform myself. Because when we’re facing our doubts in yoga, that means the practice is working.
Yoga breeds doubt because it forces us to take that inward look at ourselves, something that is very difficult - both physically and emotionally. So when you face this doubt head on - what do you do?
Today’s discussion is all about the ways we can face doubt head-on and stay the course of our yoga practice. I share my own experiences with doubts on my yoga mat before opening the floor for another inspiring Q&A session with some of my students.
We all have our own doubts, and we face them in our way. There are ways you can meet your doubts head-on with yoga while still respecting your body and your agency. This is your practice, and finding your faith will be as unique to you as it was for me. So I challenge you this week - I challenge yoga students everywhere to figure out what yoga means to you so you can face your doubts head-on with strength and confidence.
If you’re a practicing yoga student with an inspiring journey, please share a bit of your yoga journey with me and my listeners. Send me an email at info@kinoyoga.com and tell me - what does yoga mean to you? You could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast with Kino MacGregor!