Resonating Moments: Lessons From the Week
Welcome to "Resonating Moments." Each week I share one lesson from parenting, teaching yoga, practicing on my mat, and simply living life. I like to think of this blog feature as a conversation about the stuff of life. My intentions for sharing these lessons are twofold: (1) to make a personal effort to record moments that resonate or ring true (Chime) with who I am at my core, and (2) to offer what I have learned in hopes that you can relate and share about your experiences in the comments below.
Here's what I learned this week:
Lesson from life: It's been quite an exciting week! I launched the new Chime website, introduced new services, and updated my logo. For me, this week has been about savoring the process of personal evolution. "Resolve to evolve" has been my mantra. Similar to my lesson from life last week, I continue to learn that even though evolving takes hard work and a whole lot of energy, it's truly an exhilarating process when it comes from a place of passion. I feel lit up and connected to my purpose. I feel calm but also intensely enlivened. Can you relate to that feeling? I would love to learn about a time you undertook the process of personal evolution. Please share in the comments.
Lesson from my mat: This week I took class with one of my favorite teachers, Kristin Page, at Verge Yoga. Kristin positively glows when she teaches. Her flows are powerfully grounding and fun, and her words are often poetic. It's a true treat to practice with Kristin. What I learned from Kristin is that we do not need to hold poses, but rather release into them. Holding poses creates tension in our bodies and tightens up our minds. As a result of the intense exertion of holding a pose, we often hold our breath. When we release, we relax and soften into a deeper pose. We open up to all the pose has to teach us about ourselves as well as the moment. It's pretty amazing when you think about the difference between holding and releasing, right? Next time you practice, give it a try. Notice the difference between holding and releasing. I would love to know what you discover! Share in the comments.
Lesson from teaching: I learned that I know more than I realize. Like so many teachers—or human beings for that matter—I fall in the doubt trap, wondering if I know a darn thing about anything! But, I do! This became clear during yoga therapy training when my teacher empowered me and my classmates to own what we know, to remember we are trained, that we have tried and true experience, and to harness the spectrum of those expediences with confidence. Self-assurance feels so much better than apprehension. What are some ways you counter feelings of self-doubt? Please share in the comments.
Lesson from parenting: I heard these words this week during a seminar: "When we discipline a child in a group we shame them, but when we discipline a child in private, we teach them." While I always knew this, I don't believe I ever registered this lesson in such a way. Consider the profound difference between shaming and teaching, and the short- and long-term impacts one versus the other has on a child's development and self-esteem. I resolve to bring more awareness to when, where, and how I discipline my girls. I never want them to feel shame or be haunted in later years by shaming experiences. I would love your feedback on this topic. We parents need to stick together and help each other out. So please don't be shy. Share!
Perhaps some or all of these lessons resonated with you as well. If so, I’d enjoy learning how! Please share in the comments below.
Other Tidbits of Inspiration and Information
On Self-Doubt and Teaching: Yoga teacher Jessica Lawlor shares how she worked through self-doubt in her blog post You Are Not An Imposter. Jessica takes us through her process from doubting herself to reigniting her sense of self-worth with a list of positive affirmations to remind herself that she is not an imposter. Jessica writes, "If you FEEL imposter syndrome in any way, you are likely NOT an imposter. Because if you’re feeling it, that means you are doing something awesome, something that takes you outside of your comfort zone- something you are meant to be doing." Who can't relate to self-doubt, right? Read this post for an inspiring example of how to counteract those thoughts and take your place in your life.
On Stress and the Body: Have you suspected that stress is making you sick? Have you been sensing that you just don't feel quite right and stress is probably a contributing factor? Your instincts are spot on. Check out this video in Mindful Magazine from Ted Ed, written by Emory University professor Sharon Horesh Bergquist. The video shows what happens to the body during episodes of chronic stress. It's quite astounding!
Do you have any good reads you would like to share? Leave them in the comments!