How do you keep going?

“How do you keep going when you want to stop?” I asked my high school yoga students. We just started a Kundalini unit and though Kundalini can be relaxing, mostly one pushes through the knots or the thresholds to reach it. A timed practice, where movement and breath are repeated, leave the doer a lot of time to become defeated if they do not have a proper focus.

So my question, how do you keep going… was an opportunity for them to think about what they were going to do when they hit that wall. We all hit it. You may not see this so avidly in your yoga practice, depending on the yoga you practice, but walls are definitely a part of living life. We all hit them, and what we say to ourselves when we do, makes all the difference. What we do in those moments of struggle can make or break us.

Think for a moment back to one of those time when you were challenged to keep going but wanted to stop. What did you say, think, or do? Now, don’t tell yourself what you want to believe you said, thought or did; the truth will set you free. What did you really say, think or do? How did it make you feel? Were you uplifted? Were you able to complete the task? Or, did your thoughts or actions allow space for you to diminish your strength and succumb to your weakness?

Either way, today is the day that you can change what you will do the next time moments of challenge emerge. To be clear, this is not an invitation to hurt yourself. If something hurts, stop immediately and get professional help to figure out why if it persists. But if that is not the case, here are some of the things that my students said help them to keep going. No doubt, as we went through our practice yesterday, I saw them rise to the occasions before them, use their tools, and find true relaxation after their work was complete. It was clear that they knew exactly what to do to keep going.

1. Tell yourself, “Why did you start for if you’re not going to finish?”

Remind yourself why you started the task in the first place. Keep bringing yourself back to the purpose or intention that you set when you began.

2. Say, “You don’t want to disappoint yourself or anyone else.”

When my student shared this one, she was not very proud of her tool. She did not want to base her success on possible disappointment. But then we spoke about this. I shared with her a recent Youtube that I watched by Matt Kahn. It is about judgement (doom, doom!). One of the pearls of wisdom that Kahn shares is that underneath every judgement is insight. The judgement of pushing ourselves so that we do not disappoint ourselves and others renders positive insight. Though my student’s fear-based statement may work short term, it will not uplift her. A long-term and more purposeful approach could be, “I am living my best life, and I am doing this for the best me and the best in others”  When you find the insight, that can move you forward and help you to keep going.

3. Inhale, “Sat.” Exhale, “Nam.”

Last year I taught a year of yoga at Windsor High. The student who shared this took Yoga Fusion, a semester class, for two semesters (the whole year) and is taking it again this year. She knows what this means and uses it. (I am so proud!) Sat Nam, in short, means, truth is my identity. Repeating this to yourself when you need more steam is pivotal. Reminding yourself of who you are, Truth, gives you the force to keep going.

4. Focus on one point and soften your gaze there.

My student shared that when she does Crossfit training, and she’s on the rower, if she really wants to stop, she will look at the number, soften her gaze there, and keep going, just watching the number and relaxing into it. I told her, in yoga we call this the meditative mind. (She was happy to have a term for it.) Yes, the meditative mind can carry us through. It allows us to focus not on all the things that can distract us: the discomfort, fatigue, thirst or hunger…, and work through them. What we realize in this meditative space is that distractions move to the periphery and a deeper calmer level of strength emerges from our center.

5. Breathe deeper.

I suggested this one. We so often forget to breathe when we are in challenging situations. Deeper breathing can refocus the mind and give the body greater stamina and energy. When you hit a wall, breathe deeper and allow the breath to be the wind on which you float.

These are not just tools for yoga as I mentioned before. These are tools for life. These are tools to aid you when things become challenging and you want to stop but the reward would be so much sweeter if you didn’t. We all know those times. When you come across them, try one or more of these and keep on moving on. Your level of relaxation and satisfaction after you have accomplished a task that felt hard will be within your bliss.

Sat Nam.

Courtney.