Just Show Up

“Just show up. That’s all you need to do in order to be good at yoga,” explained Jo.

“I can do show up, but don’t expect me to do any headstands or pretzel stands,” I said, waving my arm and sending the empty paper cup flying off the table in the coffee shop. I had met Jo, a yoga therapist, to assess whether this type of remedy might help heal my injured hip faster.

Jo gave me a knowing smile. “I don’t expect you to. My job is to bring yoga to where you’re at right now.”

“That’s nowhere. Nothing is working for me right now.”

“But for yoga, you are exactly where you are meant to be. Yoga is built in layers. It’s up to you how far you want to take it. As long as you show up, there is only one direction for you to go and that is forward.”

In the past three months I discovered:

• A yoga pose isn’t supposed to look like anything – all poses are perfect as long as they are done to the best of one’s abilities.

• Yoga therapy is different from yoga classes. Jo customized a therapy routine exclusively for my abilities. For the novice that I am, this was a great way to start.

• Yoga can’t be rushed; it works slowly coaxing your body to move in ways it probably hasn’t done in years. There was no quick fix for my hip injury, rather a patient one. However, one morning I woke up and realized my hip wasn’t hurting as much and I was clearly more mobile. These are good things.

• Honestly, I can’t say that I feel any calmer, or that I’m any more mindful. But I am more aware.

• The teacher you have will make all the difference. They will be part of the reason you will continue to show up. Be selective with your choice.

The blog was also posted as a guest blogger to  Koru Yoga Therapy