3 Life Lessons from the Yoga Mat

How do you deal with challenges?

This was one of the questions I posed to Year 8 students in a Yoga and Meditation class. Students were invited to get curious about their (physical, emotional, intellectual) reaction to a yoga pose and consider the relation to how they react to other challenges in life.

Did they:

• Persist through the discomfort?
• Get angry or frustrated and give up?
• Get upset at themselves or others?
• Get distracted or distract others?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼?

Sitting with discomfort and working through the boring parts of a task -- where it might seem like there is a lot of waiting or not a lot of progress -- are both essential parts of developing a new skill. Working to strengthen your mind builds resilience and potentially new neural pathways. This is the environment for having new discoveries or realisations and can lead you to greater achievement and wellbeing in the long term.

So what are some of the essential things to remember for teachers and for your students?

1. One size does not fit all

We all come in different packages with different stories and that is exactly the same for you and your students. Consider ways you can have some control over your space, where you sit, the level of difficulty of the challenge you are attempting and the type of energy you are willing to commit. Allow yourself to pause -- to take child’s pose or (the ever popular) Savasana at any time -- to reclaim your sense of agency and maybe producing a more positive attitude to the activity. In this particular case, I chose to begin with meditation, followed by a Yang/Yin style class. This allows participants to focus mental energy initially, build physical energy in the more dynamic Yang sequence, before channelling that energy in longer held Yin poses. It is a structure that I have found to work with students who feel that they need to move a lot and might find focus challenging.

For you, it might be that you need to monitor the level at which you're working and listen to what your energy is telling you. Do you need to reenergise by invigorating yourself or do you need to give yourself permission to pause? This relates to finding the balance between using your masculine and feminine energy. If you would like to know more about this, check out my video here.

2. Doing nothing can be super productive!

Do you find it challenging to stop - even just for a little while? Think about what you do when things get challenging - some people 'grind', some give up and some allow themselves some space between the moments of grind to avoid feeling overwhelmed and to allow their brains to shift perspectives.

I had one yoga student who decided that for one part of the sequence he would take a resting pose in the yoga class. When could you see the value of resting between moments of challenge? What you might not realise is that in this choice, you actually give yourself a great opportunity to block out other distractions and refocus your mind. Close your eyes. Be silent and calm. Do Nothing Time (DNT) In yoga this is something which is called Savasana or Corpse pose and it is literally a time for the body to be completely still and the mind to be settled. Many highly driven or competitive individuals find it difficult to be still and do nothing. Some even leave a class before getting to this final glorious moment!

It is usually those who find it the most challenging that need it the most!

3. Keep things playful and light

Whether you're a teacher thinking about your own challenges or helping a student with one of theirs, pay attention to the mood and atmosphere you a creating. The mood you create affects how you feel about a task and whether you feel more open to learning or not. Most people take a yoga class to learn something, leading to feeling better in the body, the mind or both. Many people want to relax, feel good and develop greater flexibility. Using music and a sprinkling of humour in the class helps participants to feel more at ease and trusting of the process. A relaxed mind is more open and welcoming to trying new things.

How are you creating your own moments of lightness, playfulness and humour? Is there room for rethinking your approach? Remember, the journey is as important as reaching the destination!

Reach out if you would like support in this. You can message through Linked In or email me at nicole@nicoleglisson.com.

I help international educators to break free from overwhelm, reclaim energy and create an abundance of time.

Supporting international schools to support their staff & student wellbeing.

#PositiveEducation #Wellbeing #positivespsychology #teachers #internationaleducation #teacherwellbeing