Stop the story...

Stop the story.

That's what my yoga instructor said softly Saturday evening. It was a seemingly simple suggestion, but one that has stuck with me since.

Those of you who regularly read the blog or follow me on Twitter or Facebook (or all three) know that in November, I began practicing yoga at Portland Power Yoga, a Vinyasa studio on Marginal Way. What makes practice here especially challenging is that the studio is heated to upwards of 95 degrees and the room is incredibly humid- increased by mat-to-mat people who are sweating from every single, solitary pore.

I've always wanted to practice yoga because I appreciate that it works both the body and the mind and that's one of the (many, many) reasons I was so excited to move to Portland. Hot yoga at PPY seemed like a good fit because I am always freezing (seriously, who gets frost bite, in the car, with the heat on). It's been life, and body, changing. Since mid-November, I've gone usually twice a week and this past Saturday marked the final day in my 45-day introductory package period.

It was not even halfway through the 90 minute class when the instructor Ashley said it: "Stop the story." Her words couldn't have come at a better time, as I was having a particularly difficult class and was (yet again) resting in "child's pose", a sort of timeout position for those who just.need.a.break. Going into this pose whenever you need it (in or out of class) is encouraged and celebrated, but because I was struggling so much in that class to find my strength and balance, I found myself in child's pose more than out of it and at the exact moment Ashley spoke, I was convinced that everyone in class must be judging me, thinking how weak and unfocused I was.

Of course, it's likely that everyone else was wrapped up in their own "stuff" and I was the only judging me, but these are the narratives we create inside our heads, writing ourselves into these imaginary stories that usually make us feel bad about ourselves, or guilty or otherwise insecure. How often have we seen two people look at us and whisper and assumed they talking about us and it isn't good? Maybe they are thinking we have the most fabulous pair of shoes on, or great skin, but we never give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. Our stories should be written by our actions, not our (inaccurate) assumptions. And so this suggestion to "stop the story", to just go with what you know and just be in the here and now and definite rather than the there and the maybe is welcome advice (especially because it's so simply stated) and will be added to the New Year's resolutions list. Along with going to yoga twice a week :)

I'd be interested to know: Do you practice yoga or a similar body/mind exercise? What epiphanies have you had in your practice? And what advice might you have for a newbie?