Spook Yourself with Yoga!
To be honest, Halloween was never my favourite holiday growing up. Don’t get me wrong, I loved candy and dressing up as much as the next kid, but I didn’t like being surrounded by a bunch of scary skeleton-ghouls and bloody zombie-mummies. I’m still not a fan of being scared – I don’t like watching horror movies or thinking about what I would do in a zombie apocalypse (being realistic it would likely involve a lot of panicked crying) – but I have learned that one of my absolute favourite feelings is when I overcome a fear.
Nothing makes me feel stronger than when I’ve done something that scares the bajeezus out of me. Maybe it is because I feel most powerful when I am able to take control of something that initially made me feel helpless. Maybe it’s the feeling that, if I can do something that scared me that much, I can do anything – nothing can keep me reduced to panicked tears forever (who knows, maybe not even a zombie apocalypse)! Maybe it’s simply that I like feeling brave. For any of you Game of Thrones fans out there, a quote that always speaks to me in those moments is when Bran asks his father, “Can a man still be brave if he is afraid?” and Ned Stark replies: “That is the only time a man can be brave.” I place a lot of value on those moments of personal triumph.
Your yoga practice is a great place to start if you want to start challenging your fears. Perhaps it is a pose that scares you, like handstand. Possibly what scares you is the thought of trying a new style of yoga, or a higher-level class. Or maybe it is going to a class with a teacher that you aren’t used to. Maybe it’s just showing up to class at all!
There are so many opportunities to push the boundaries of your comfort zone with your yoga practice, and you’ve probably heard by now that what you learn on the mat often translates directly to the rest of your life. Steel yourself to face your fear and try that pose, that class, or that new teacher (and trust me, at Yoga Tree, all the teachers are amazing and you can learn something from each of them).
Take this Halloween as an opportunity to scare yourself by trying something new in your yoga practice. For some extra incentive to get out there this Halloween, try one of our Halloween-themed classes, such as a Fang-tastic Flow class, Haunted Hatha, or a Smouldering Cauldron Hot class! There will even be prizes for people wearing the best costumes in class. 🙂
In the spirit of overcoming your fears, I wish you all a spooky Halloween!
