Listening to that knocking, encouraging voice

I’ve been finding ways to add more movement in my day. This is something I wish wasn’t a struggle, but it often is.

Yesterday, I started the day
with a short beginner’s yoga video
and a fun workout with a live broadcast of “Dance Church.” It felt good, even though there were moments I wanted to quit.

Today,
I woke up with a thought
of how my body would appreciate some morning yoga again.

This thought was met with a lot of resistance.

There were those limiting beliefs again:
“This will be hard”
“It’s going to be frustrating how not-bendy my body is.”
“It’s going to be boring.”
“It won’t be enough to make a difference.”

Still: I couldn’t ignore the knocking thought calling to me
“You’ll appreciate you did this”
“Some is better than nothing.”

So, what did I do? I rolled over in bed and checked my phone.
I let the resistance win a bit longer.
I listened to a friend’s Marco Polo.

And there was Billie, sharing she just got done with some morning yoga.

And the encouraging voice again in my head:
“It’s just 14 minutes. You can do the same video as yesterday. It will feel familiar. You like familiar!”

As I made the bed, I glanced down and saw a box of intention cards and decided to pull one. The card read

“Rather than trying to transform yourself, transform what you do. Think of ways to behave as you would like to be, and this will lead to changes in the way you see the world.”

Pretty apt advice.

So I rolled out my mat and played my yoga video.

I reminded myself that my body isn’t as bendy as it may become one day.

I let myself just BE with the discomfort.

I enjoyed the feeling of familiarity as I transitioned from one pose to another.

I reminded myself that 14 minutes is just 14 minutes (because sometimes, at minute 3, 14 minutes can feel long).

As I rolled up my mat and headed on with my day, I felt pretty proud of myself. It might “just” be 14 minutes to someone else, but it was a big win for me.

Now I’m looking at the day ahead, asking the question:

“What’s the next small action I can take to help create a soft shift? What is the life I want to live?”

I’d love to hear from YOU, friends:
What’s a small action you will take today to help you create a soft shift? How will you behave as you’d like to be?

Listen to that knocking, encouraging thought: “You’ll appreciate you did this.”