That time when yoga backhanded me
I’m short and flexible (5’2” - heyy!) so the first time I tried yoga I thought I was the shit. “Oh yea, look at me. I can touch my toes. I’ve got this whole yoga-thing in the bag…”
**SLAP**
That was the sound of yoga metaphorically backhanding me (with love, of course 😉).
“You think you know me?” Yoga went on. “Sit down, girl. Let me teach you a thing or two…”
Over the following years yoga showed me that it’s way more than just the physical postures, which themselves are more than just touching your toes.
Yoga taught me that it’s a science of spirituality. It’s a system of techniques and philosophical underpinnings that help to cultivate inner awareness.
Man, was I humbled.
Since then, yoga has helped me deepen my relationship with myself by helping me develop a greater awareness of my inner world. Yogic practices - whether asana (physical poses) or pranayama (breath work) or meditation - serve as springboards for me to dive into myself and become more aware of my inner world. To notice things like how I talk to myself when a pose gets hard, or what the back edge of my foot feels like in warrior II.
In so many ways, yoga offers me a practice of self-observation. Every time I get on my mat or sit on my cushion, I have an opportunity to practice and play with the art of compassionate observation. I get to learn how to turn inward and observe what I’m experiencing without judging it or fixing it or changing what I see.
I didn’t even know that was a thing before yoga!
As a self-described feeler, these tools of observation have been invaluable to me. They help me in times of emotional overwhelm or when big tidal wave-like emotions wash through me. They help me to be present with what I’m feeling. To not judge my experience (or notice and catch myself when I do!). And instead have the space within myself to notice the sensations in my body, not get consumed by them or react, and instead support them to unfold in the way they need to.
Yogic tools coupled with emotional literacy turn into a powerhouse of skills. Knowing what emotions are and how to work with them is an antidote to spiritual bypassing. For instance, knowing that emotions are like waves—they rise, crest, and fall—helps me turn towards, not away, from my emotions. I'm better able to tolerate crazy uncomfortable sensations that some emotions bring with them because I can track their arc of expression (and know they won't last forever). In times like these, I use what I've cultivated through yoga - my breath, a rootedness within my sense of S/self and body - to observe what's happening in my system, breath through the waves of sensation, and allow them to move as they need to.
All of this (and more) is why I got certified as a yoga teacher and trained as an emotions educator. To share these tools and frameworks that have been so transformational to me with others. They’re the heart of my new self-paced course, Empower yourself, dear feeler.
The convergence of wisdom traditions and science is alive and here to support us with the many normal feelings that come with being attuned and of service to the changes going on in our world. I’m a firm believer that we (collectively, individually) have what we need to usher in our highest evolutionary potential. We just need to learn to get creative with the myriad of tools we have, and be open (with discernment and safety!) to each other and new ways of using them.
Hi, I’m Liz Moyer Benferhat. Writer, facilitator, coach, and development practitioner dedicated to the subtle interplay between how inner transformation feeds the outer transformation we need in the world. Welcome 🌿