Letting Go of Ego On and Off the Mat
Letting go of ego...
It's not as easy as it sounds.
I've been practicing yoga for over seven years and this is still something I struggle with in my life off the mat.
Ego is a funny thing, some would say to make it in this world, and especially in NYC, that it's essential, others would say ego is the root of all wars.
I wasn't raised in a yogi household, in fact, as a kid I was a firecracker.
If you pushed me, I pushed back harder.
As a teenager, I longed for independence, and as an adult I still struggle with asking for help.
My ego is often as secure as Fort Knox, maybe because I was an only child and fiercely independent or maybe because in letting go I've been hurt, but since I was old enough to say, "No I can do it myself," it's a phrase I've repeated thousands of times.
The funny thing is, I don't struggle with my ego on the mat.
I see so many students get frustrated when something they think should come easily to them does not.
If I can't get into a pose, I never beat myself up about it and I think that's a result of one of my first yoga teachers.
She said something I will never forget, "Yoga is in the trying.
" I can't tell you how many times I toppled over trying to master handstand, but that never stopped me from trying.
So I'm applying this to my life off the mat, I'm trying...
Call it my belated New Year's resolution.
After all, what's the worst that can happen in letting go? I believe that what often drives ego is fear.
Fear of not being in control, fear of judgment, fear of failure, the list goes on.
But in the words of Gary Anderson, "The person you were always meant to be is waiting for you just on the other side of the things you fear.
" After all, how many times has the worst case scenario that you've envisioned in your head actually come to fruition? I'm willing to bet very few.
So what is it that you want to do? Who is it that you want to be? What is it that holds you back? The unknown is a scary thing...
So is judgment, giving up control, failure...
But sometimes you just have to take the leap and if you fall down, brush yourself off and try, try again.
It's not as easy as it sounds.
I've been practicing yoga for over seven years and this is still something I struggle with in my life off the mat.
Ego is a funny thing, some would say to make it in this world, and especially in NYC, that it's essential, others would say ego is the root of all wars.
I wasn't raised in a yogi household, in fact, as a kid I was a firecracker.
If you pushed me, I pushed back harder.
As a teenager, I longed for independence, and as an adult I still struggle with asking for help.
My ego is often as secure as Fort Knox, maybe because I was an only child and fiercely independent or maybe because in letting go I've been hurt, but since I was old enough to say, "No I can do it myself," it's a phrase I've repeated thousands of times.
The funny thing is, I don't struggle with my ego on the mat.
I see so many students get frustrated when something they think should come easily to them does not.
If I can't get into a pose, I never beat myself up about it and I think that's a result of one of my first yoga teachers.
She said something I will never forget, "Yoga is in the trying.
" I can't tell you how many times I toppled over trying to master handstand, but that never stopped me from trying.
So I'm applying this to my life off the mat, I'm trying...
Call it my belated New Year's resolution.
After all, what's the worst that can happen in letting go? I believe that what often drives ego is fear.
Fear of not being in control, fear of judgment, fear of failure, the list goes on.
But in the words of Gary Anderson, "The person you were always meant to be is waiting for you just on the other side of the things you fear.
" After all, how many times has the worst case scenario that you've envisioned in your head actually come to fruition? I'm willing to bet very few.
So what is it that you want to do? Who is it that you want to be? What is it that holds you back? The unknown is a scary thing...
So is judgment, giving up control, failure...
But sometimes you just have to take the leap and if you fall down, brush yourself off and try, try again.
