"Yoga isn't a workout..."
Shared by Breanne Smedley
All you do is breathe, stretch a little, and sit there while your mind wanders to a million other things.
It's only a workout if "power" is in front of the name. Or, if you're doing it in a room with the heat cranked up to 100 degrees.
Yes, I used to subconsciously think these things in the back of my mind when considering if yoga could "count" as my workout.
Because in my mind a workout meant you needed to leave dripping in sweat, pushing your body to the max, and getting your heart rate high every time.
In that world, it was also common to push my body past its limits.
Common to ignore the signals to slow down.
A sign of strength to push through on little sleep or no recovery.
That the nudge to move to something gentler was just the voice of my "Lesser Self."
That in order to give myself permission to feel good about myself, it meant that the intense workout box had to be checked that day.
I'm slowly learning that there's a better way.
And this week, as my family and I are on vacation and I'm spending my mornings doing yoga while looking out over the Puget Sound, I can feel it in my body, too.
A year ago, I wouldn't accept it. The thought of doing yoga each morning in lieu of HIIT, CrossFit, or sprints? Not a chance.
I'm learning that our female energy isn't designed to thrive in an environment where the stimulus is always the same.
And that those nudges to pair my high-intensity days with complimentary restorative practices at different points in my cycle weren't actually the voice of my Lesser Self telling me to take it easy and be lazy.
It was actually the voice of my Heroic Self. The one that knows exactly what I need. The one that will allow me to show up as my best self. The one that teaches me how to thrive, be the most productive and gives me limitless energy to engage in what I'm passionate about.
The voice that comes from within, rather than from the expectations and "shoulds" of others.
The one that listened to as it leads me back to my mat this sunny, still morning.
And the one I will continue to follow so long as I give it the time, space, and silence to hear it.
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