Small shifts in habits, attention & body awareness can make a big difference
Have you ever been on a roll with something that was generally working for you, only to either add or subtract something that suddenly made the experience much more efficient or enjoyable (only to wonder why you didn’t notice this sooner)?
Even if you’re someone with an overflowing plate, adding one simple mindfulness tool or eliminating one non-urgent task can potentially change the trajectory of your day and mindset. It might even elicit a supportive physical response in the body, too.
Sometimes it’s the simple, small shifts—whether it’s inserting or removing something—that have the most impact on general mind-body wellbeing, actions and reactions, awareness and focus, and overall productivity.
What we add
I first experienced this in a yoga setting when a few teachers suggested I micro-bend my knees in straight-legged postures because of dance-related hyperextension. Eventually, though, I realized that this actually minimized the benefits of these poses.
The main lightbulb moment happened during one of my first Iyengar classes for teachers with Nikki. She came over and told me to straighten my legs—which I thought I was already doing—and the conversation went something like this:
N: Straighten the legs.
S: I am…
N: No—pull up the muscles around the knees and straighten the legs more.
S: You mean like this? *Engages muscles in an attempt to do what Nikki says.
N: Yes.
S: YOU MEAN THIS IS STRAIGHT??? *Looking up at Nikki, slightly dumbfounded by this newfound understanding of what a thoughtfully straightened leg feels like.
N: Yes. *Moves on with the class.
S: *Continues processing shock and awe.
Plugging in that simple action—engaging the muscles around the knees to both lengthen and stabilize the leg—shifted how I practice yoga.
It helped me embody straight-legged poses more fully and experience more of the physiological benefits, which is what yoga (and movement in general) is all about.
This principle can be true for almost any area of our life:
- In the morning—even when a busy day is looming—we might feel much more balanced if we take 3 deep breaths before getting out of bed or checking a device.
- During the workday, we might benefit from adding a short screen break to walk or meditate, which can ultimately boost productivity instead of suppress it.
- When cooking, we might throw a handful of greens into a ready-made meal instead of berating ourselves for not eating “perfectly.”
- Adding salt to pasta water can truly enhance the flavor—take note!
- Including 2-5 minutes of breathwork or meditation before bed might help calm the nervous system and lead to a better night’s rest.
The same goes for adding a splash of color in a room or a painting, a drum beat or horns to a piece of music, an extra layer of clothing in cold weather…
Reflect:
What can I add into my day or life that helps me feel more grounded, stable, steady, and strong—physically, mentally, or emotionally; personally or professionally?
What we remove
And yet! In other areas of life—be it a yoga pose, a workday, a relationship, or a health habit—removing something can also sometimes change everything.
In the context of yoga, another concept that enhanced how I embodied my personal practice (and how I teach) was learning how to empty and release the grip of the abdomen in certain poses when needed.
You may already know from experience what I’m referring to here Re: the abdomen being an area where many of us carry lots of stress, tension, or general discomfort.
Learning how to release those muscles can not only help us move deeper into a twist or forward extension in yoga, but can also relieve physical dis-ease in everyday life—which often impacts our headspace and emotions to boot.
Emptying or releasing in other areas of life might look like:
- Eliminating certain apps on our phone that swallow our attention—or at least exiling our device from the bedroom to avoid pre-sleep attention zapping.
- Literally letting ourselves pee when we have to pee instead of holding it in to finish one more thing (go empty yourself!).
- Removing an ingredient in a dish that causes us reflux (etc) to change the way we experience a meal (i.e. enjoying it in the moment vs resenting it afterward).
- Looking at the work, housework, or parental tasks on our to-do list and temporarily or permanently deleting whatever isn’t 100% necessary right now.
- Spring cleaning whatever part of our home (or headspace) feels cluttered; relinquishing the things that take up space and aren’t being utilized.
The same goes for turning off distracting background noise, editing a piece of writing (easier said than done, don’t I know it), deleting emails or texts that clog our inbox…
Sometimes even removing something from our supplement stack can make us feel better—although in some cases the opposite may be true (we’re all different!).
Reflect:
What can I subtract, relieve, or release from my day or life that might help me feel more fluid, lighter, brighter, and more mobile—physically, mentally, or emotionally; personally or professionally?
Onward
In my own life—not just yoga-related—I’ve noticed things like:
Adding meditation into my day reminds me that I have tools to shift my physiological responses both during and outside of meditation—even if the meditative experience isn’t always calming (sometimes our minds just run amok—we’re not robots!).
Eliminating pre-sleep scrolling in bed, even if it’s before I read, helps settle my body and mind (but sometimes scrolling still happens—I am human!). As a recovering over-thinker, pre-sleep is when my thoughts can go berserk, so this is a big one for me.
Adding more whole foods and fewer packaged ones slowly changed the way I nourish myself. Subtracting excess stuff from my closet and skincare cabinet helped me learn how to live in a more simple and ecologically-conscious way.
Yung Pueblo recently wrote “All thoughts are empty until you give them value.” Similarly, NYC Iyengar yoga legend Genny Kapuler once said in class, “The archetype is empty until you fill it” (no follow up, just let us chew on it—which I’ll do for you…).
And so on.
This is one reason why movement practices like yoga are so endlessly teachable. As long as we’re at it, there’s always something new to explore—either by adding something in (a new concept, pose, or technique) or taking something away.
Even something like losing mobility from a broken bone (which I don’t wish on anyone!) can unexpectedly teach us something about how we move, adapt, and heal…
Reflect:
What could you plug into or unplug from your life, work, relationship, or daily habits that might create a surprisingly positive shift?
Take good care,
S
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