Is disruption a challenge or opportunity?
In a previous post, I outlined my data journey to purchase a new yoga mat 😊. I was not expecting that a data disruption.
All the elements that inspired me to take action, also made me a little giddy to unfurl it at my next class. I was a bit excited and a little proud. Not only did I get the mat I wanted, but I got a good deal, too (#momtaughtmewell).
My mat’s first class with me started like any other. Tamastiti, mountain pose for reflection and grounding, followed by the physical action of om. Om might be my favorite part of a yoga class; I find the simple act allows my mind to catch up with my body and switch into yoga mode, so to say. But I digress.
Nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition
Hooray for Monty Python, but I was not expecting a massive disruption. My practice is not focused on my form, because I do not practice with glasses or contact lenses. Instead, I rely on how things feel and instructor cues or assists.
“I was not expecting a massive data disruption.“
It has been a very long time since I could visually distinguish whether my arch was inline with my heel in warrior two. Now, I noticed it was not. I saw when my back foot was not 45 degrees, and my hands were not shoulder-width apart in downdog.
Moving through my sun salutation, I was no longer sure where to put my hands. I grew distracted by constantly correcting and adjusting, over-thinking and forgetting to breathe. The amount of data the new mat was providing with every move was overwhelming.
By the end of my first class on my new mat, I thought I was doing something wrong. I thought about using my old mat to cover the graphics so I could gain all the benefits but avoid the disruption.
Consciously connect with the disruptive data (but not like the Matrix)
However, being realistic about how I operate, I knew carrying a second mat rolled around the other to class was not how I wanted to roll (sorry / not sorry. I can’t help it; I love puns!). After years of traveling internationally, I try to avoid overpacking. Sometimes I succeed, as I did in this data story.
“I made a conscious effort to connect to the continuous data input.“
In class the following week, I decided to work smarter, not harder (Thanks, Scrooge McDuck!). I made a conscious effort to connect to the continuous data input.
At each pose transition, I set my feet and hands where they should be, not where I put them out of habit. It took a little longer to get in and out of a pose, and it was awkward and clumsy, but I trusted that these changes would help me to grow in my practice and improving pose alignment (hooray, for reducing chances for injury).
Change can do you good
The morning after I set this intention, my whole body woke up sore like it hadn’t been practicing yoga for years. At first, I chalked it up to being tired. But after a walk with my dog, I realized I was retraining my muscles using this new data, my unique data set.
Now, every time I adjust my pose, I make a mental note of where that limb or digit landed in relation to the graphics. I use this spatial data every time I am unsure whether my posture is an old habit or a new adjustment.
I also have a favorite graphic. It’s a small arrow at the top of the mat. In Yin practice, you are almost always in a seated or reclined position. Knowing that my face is not resting in the same place where my feet were is a small but powerful peace of mind thing when you’re trying to relax and release.
“I allowed myself the opportunity to understand how that data was impacting my practice and utilize the new information best.”
My practice was disrupted with this new mat in unexpected ways. It was overwhelming and uncomfortable, as all disruption is. However, I am proud that there was no “analysis paralysis”. I did not allow the little things to remain disruptive; instead, recognizing a course to adapt and improve.
I allowed myself the opportunity to understand how that data was impacting my practice and utilize the new information best. After a few classes of deliberate movement, it’s like I’ve had the mat for ages.
I am no longer preoccupied with getting every adjustment every time. It has allowed me the opportunity to be more aware and less disoriented by the changes I should make.
It’s yoga; you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff – you should just sweat.
Om, yo!
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