the growth in failure
Class starts off with me resting peacefully on my back while the yogi's of the 9 AM class chatter in the foyer. It sounds like they had a great class, but I start to tune the noise out so that it becomes just a hum in the background as I melt myself into my mat. My instructor places the props we will be using next to me saying, "you look so peaceful I didn't want to disturb you." How kind. The studio is its own world of kindness and good vibes that I sometimes can't believe I found.
Once our warm up sequence is complete, the instructor has switched over her playlist to one with lyrics as we have already began class revealing a very laid back and humor filled vibe between all participants. And the instructor just goes with it. She does not fight the tone we are setting, she embraces it.
Today I successfully walked my feet up the wall while using my hands in line under my shoulders to create an inverted "L". It was terrifying and thrilling simultaneously. The environment begs you to practice new things. To build new muscle memory.
I love to learn. And yoga provides an unlimited amount of opportunities to learn through experience while acknowledging and even praising attempts that fail. I rocked the inverted "L" today, but a little while later after shifting into crow (not on blocks!) my left arm buckled and I fell directly onto my left knee off the mat. I laughed a little and the instructor commented that I had it for just a second. That's all it takes. Another girl fell today and another kicked the wall on accident (been there, see previous post) and we all just laughed and moved forward.
Failure does not equal fear if you don't want it to. Instead, it can equal motivation, encouragement, guidance and even strength. I failed today at crow, but that won't stop me from trying next time. Quite the opposite.
No one defines failure but yourself. How it plays the role in your life is determined on how you see it. How you think others see you if/when you fail.
Instead think about how much you will learn from a failure. Now you have extended your ability to the infinite degree.