Have you ever thought to yourself ‘Why can’t I get this pose?’. Congratulations, you are a determined yogi and I am here to help.
Over the last few weeks I have written about strength, flexibility and balance. These things can definitely play a big roll in achieving poses but this post is all about the number 1 reason that you may not be achieving them.
MINDSET
Now, stay with me. This word get’s thrown around a lot. You may already be thinking ‘oh god here we go again, another one talking about mindset’. Just keep reading for a minute.
Did you know that yoga is all about mindset, so anytime you do a yoga class you are working on your mind as well as your body maybe without even realising, so many of us come to yoga for fitness but then stay for the mental benefits.
Yoga is all about the breath and when you can focus on our breathing whilst we are in poses or moving from pose to pose we are actually calming the nervous system. Why do you need to know this?
Calming the nervous system, calms your brain function which in turn slows down the mind. With a slower mind you can focus more clearly, you can organise your thoughts in a way that helps you in whatever you are doing and your heart rate slows which means your body has more control.
It isn’t just a case of focus on the pose you want to achieve and you will get it. It takes more than that.
The calming of the nervous system is definitely a major part in helping you achieve and hold poses and another factor is believing in yourself. Again, I know, another phrase that gets thrown around a lot.
If you imagine someone who is creating a business but they don’t believe that it is going to work, they can’t see themselves earning money and they think it’s going to fail. So, what is going to happen? They are going to fail. If you don’t believe you are going to earn money and you don’t think you are good enough, you are definitely not going to be trying as hard as someone who does believe it.
This is the same with yoga and achieving poses. If you believe that you are not strong enough, not flexible enough, not good enough then every time you try that pose, your nervous system is panicking. Your body isn’t calm, your breathing isn’t going to be stable and you won’t be concentrating as much as you would if you thought you could really do it.
Now imagine you know that one day you are going to get this pose. You believe that the time is now, what happens? You are fully concentrating on that moment, you are focusing your breath, your body, your mind all on getting this pose. Can you already see/feel the difference in these 2 statements.
This! This is why mindset is the BIGGEST part of achieving any pose. If you believe it, it can happen. If you don’t, you are holding yourself back.
I hope you found some value in this and i really hope you have an open mind the next time you step on the mat.
If you would like to work on your mindset a bit more and love challenges, then check out my new flexibility challenge that is starting in June, You can sign up by clicking the button below.
Leah
xxx