‘No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training…what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.’ Socrates, a Greek philosopher who is said never to have written anything.  When I heard this quote, I thought, what would be the beauty and strength that my body was capable of? Abs! Yes! The stuff of #goals #beachbody #fitness #motivation #health #gains My journey towards finding the seemingly elusive something pack has been interesting.  

It started out really well, with regular practice, I was starting to get some definition. The only problem was that it stopped being a physical discipline I can bring to my practice. It became a source of self-judgement because there was no instant gratification.

Disclaimer. It is a great thing to have a goal for your yoga practice. Having a specific and measurable goal is part of the foundation for success. The one thing that is more important than a specific and measurable goal is the intention behind this specific and measurable goal. My intention did not serve my goal. I had a super fixed mindset.

At our Y12SR Leader training, Nikki Myers said, you can’t heal what you don’t acknowledge. I did not acknowledge that I did not appreciate my body. I did not acknowledge that I hated my stretch marks and love handles. I did not acknowledge the time and work it would take for me to feel comfortable enough with myself to then transform into my best self. My goal of abs was overtaken by going down the rabbit hole, which, for me, meant lower back pain and frustration. It meant that the yoga practice I have come to love became this unrewarding obligation.

‘Abs are made in the kitchen’… and were destroyed by my obsessive mind and actions of conformity to standards that would have me looking instead of being healthy. In Baptiste yoga, we usually refer to the abdominal region as the core. My favourite definition of core is “the part of something that is central to its existence or character.” To be clear I am not abandoning my goal. I am building my figurative core, while I build my physical core.

There are always intentions behind the goals we pursue. Consider that intentions are neither right nor wrong. Do the intentions behind your goal match your fullest expression of self?

My work on and off the mat continues.

See you when I see you.

Julie.

An alleged yogi.