Yoga for hard days

When nothing seems to go right and you feel like everything is impossible and heavy, come back to the basics

Things have been hard this week.

From busted water heaters and broken internet modems to miscommunication, trauma triggers, and adulting stress, this week feels heavy and challenging.

Through the week, I’ve heard others say the same thing, it’s “heavy” right now.

It’s a week I bet a joint, beer, or violence would be the easiest thing to turn to for many of us.

I get it. These moments can creep up on you and pour down worse than a summer rainstorm. It’s not fair, you can’t out plan all these things, and the impact on you is real.

But, these are the moments we put are practice to work for us. We have a choice in how we navigate the hardships.

It won’t be easy or fun, if I’m being honest. But, it is possible to shift the way we carry the heaviness.

Instead of big outbursts, words we regret later, or abandoning ourselves, yoga has provided us with tools to connect to the body and express our feelings.

Paid subscribers have access to three, ten-minute videos this week with practices that help move through tough days, including:

• Over five different types of breathwork to meet your body where it is so you can find relief from stress

• A tension and release somatic practice that helps move heavy things while you keep yourself safe

• One practice from my popular Angry Yoga workshop that shows you how to throw a safe tantrum when nothing else seems to help

5 Ways I Practiced Yoga Last Week

1. Svadhyaya (self study): With each challenge this week, I tried to notice my feelings. Shame crept in more than I want to admit, and I’m still trying to navigate how to handle myself when things don’t go as planned. This has been so hard for me my whole life.

2. Ahimsa (nonviolence): When we get frustrated and/or when we are hurting, I think violence can be a triggered reaction. Whether it’s verbal or physical, we owe ourselves and loved ones safety. This one is hard when I grew up in a violent home. But, I used breathing, words, and took some time to cry alone when I had overwhelming feelings with this week’s challenges.

3. Satya (truthfulness): My things were used in a way I didn’t appreciate, so I used those very words to address the issue. It sounded like this, “I didn’t appreciate when you used my delicate, keepsake blanket to transfer tools.” Trust me it took a lot in me to find these words rather than yell and be violent.

4. Pranayama (breath control): The MVP of all time. Seriously, everyday this week required big breaths with long exhales to give my body a few moments to choose a safer reaction than my first instinct wanted to give.

5. Asana (movement): Moves close to the ground felt best to just let the body feel the heaviness of so much disappointment and frustration this week.

5 Ways You Can Practice Yoga This Week

1. Svadhyaya (self study): When things are hard, notice how you talk to yourself, how you act, and how you’re inclined to treat others. Take notes, give yourself time, use your tools, and know you are doing you’re best.

2. Ahimsa (nonviolence): Sometimes we are violent; it’s often because we feel deeply and are still finding tools and new ways to navigate this life. You are a kind person, remember that like Dr. Becky from Good Inside says, good people hit, scream, and say they hate others sometimes when they are hurting. It’s not an excuse to hurt others over and over, but don’t shame yourself into isolation when your words and body are overwhelmed.

3. Satya (truthfulness): On the tough days this week, be honest. Don’t just say you’re fine. Ask for help, share the work your doing with your partner, and don’t try to be perfect.

4. Pranayama (breath control): Come back to this basic and always accessible practice. Long exhales, slow movements, deep rest.

5. Asana (movement): If things feel heavy, let them. Move with the heaviness - feel it, express it, talk to it. Stomp your feet, flail your hands, stick out your tongue, and shake your head.