Change ... the scary 6-letter word

Circling back to my yoga class last Thursday... I spent a majority of time that day thinking about change.  Here I was in yet another yoga studio that I have never been in, with another yoga teacher I have never learned from, and a community of students I have never practiced with.  I have been in yoga studios in so many cities and towns - and it can be challenging to adapt to that change.

The ability to handle change gracefully is a trait that I have never developed well.  It is a trait that many people never develop.  I have had conversations with friends who practice and they love the consistency of certain teachers or programs - they know the general flow of that class and even when the class is "changed up" the platform remains the same.  The community doesn't change.  Yoga is truly a community practice - it does matter where you practice.  You form a bond with that studio, that style of practice, the students, and you are able to build your confidence from there.

So, what happens when you change studios?  It can be nerve-wracking.  It can be challenging.  You can find yourself self-conscious.  You can mess up even the simplest of poses because it isn't in the same flow or order that you normally practice.  You essentially have a yogic breakdown.



But you know what else happens?  You start to pick up different variations and poses - some teachers/styles never practice some poses so you never learn them.  Try out different studios and teachers and you WILL learn more.  You also start to gain confidence in your practice - you begin to learn and feel you know what you are doing.  You start to know what are you favorite poses and what flow you like best.  Thus, you really begin to learn yourself.

This is so applicable in life.  Coming from a self-diagnosed change-phobic, it is certainly odd I live the type of lifestyle that I do.  I spend more nights away from my own bed that I do in my bed.  I live in Miami but I will go weeks at a time not being there.  I am constantly told by family and friends that I am not built for this lifestyle.  I was built for stability, consistency, and having a routine.  And, they're right.  But, I have spent the past almost 5 years of my life pushing my limits - going outside of my comfort zone - challenging myself.

I have spent a significant portion of the past 5 years hating change and accepting that I really wasn't built for it.  But what I am grateful today for is the opportunity to be able to experience so much change.  Living multiple places, working in different locations, trying new foods, experiencing new cultures, meeting new people (good and bad), falling in and out of love,  having my heart broken in different ways, making new best friends and losing old ones, expanding my family, and most of all trying to let go of the past, embracing the present, and being excited for the future.

As you change yoga studios or you're traveling - embrace that fear of change.  As you're going through rough times in life - embrace that fear of change.  I continue to be a change-phobic - this is me preaching what I struggle to follow myself.  But, the first step is to think about it, start conversations with others, and embrace your fears - on and off the mat.