I’m very disciplined… mostly.

I show up and meet challenges consistently with patience. But then there are times when I tell myself, “I can’t do it.”

Yet…

• I’ve already broken bad habits (Read: I Was a Crack Addict).
• At age 14, I trained myself to do a split by sitting in front of the TV while watching endless 1/2 hour sitcoms.
• I haven’t crossed my legs above the knees while sitting for 22 years. (That’s another story.)
• In June, 2022, I began consistent strength training workouts because I wanted stronger arms. Since then, I’ve made gains in my Bone Mineral Density and now my Osteoporosis diagnosis has changed to Osteopenia. (More about that soon…)
• I’ve become more consistent with writing (including these newsletters to you!)

STILL, I find it so difficult, if not impossible to work on the full wheel pose.

Back in the day, I once could do a full wheel and lift my leg straight up in the air without much problem. Yet the years have increased the tightness in my upper back and shoulders, making this pose intensely hard. After seeing me do a full wheel in class, a colleague once told me to “just straighten your arms.” Hah! As if… 

Even though I’ve been working to strengthen and free up my body for a long time, sometimes it feels like parts of me are as impenetrable as a brick wall.

A few weeks ago in my weekly class with my teacher Genny Kapuler, I actually straightened my arms in full wheel!! It was a totally rare sensation for me, which is what I love so much about yoga. Sometimes practice can surprise us with a wholly new sensation in our body that we’ve never experienced before.

That’s why the wisdom, inspiration and care I receive each week (for the last 26 years!) in a 2-hour class with Genny is instrumental to my yoga practice. I’m deeply nourished by her teaching which gives me sustenance that supports me throughout a full week of my own teaching.

Do you ever tell yourself, “I can’t?”
Or “Am I the only one?”
Ask yourself in a quiet moment,
what support would be most helpful for me?

What ideas have been been brewing inside of you – (about your body, movement, or any other area of your life)?