Facing My Personal Nemesis

I hate yoga.

There! I said it. The truth is out!

Now, let me explain what I mean by "the truth:"

Yoga is my bugbear, my demon.. call it what you want — it's really hard for me! Even though I've trained in the martial arts for years and years, I'm physically very tight. My muscular flexibility and joint range of motion are two areas that I've constantly struggled with. And so I've avoided working on it — for years and years!

Downward dog? My mortal enemy!

Now, the truth is that I know how GOOD yoga is for me, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually... I admire the art, it's practitioners, and all that yoga has to teach me. I subscribe to Yoga Journal. I even host yoga classes at my dojo. But the fact is I find it very challenging to face (and work with, and accept) my own physical limitations when I'm on the mat reaching for my toes and/or twisting my spine.

I've made significant improvements in recent years, but I've got a long way to go to get to where I'd like to be. And somewhere deep, down inside, I know that my physical inflexibility is probably a manifestation of a mental state. This is something I need to work on, a barrier I need to break through!

What better opportunity for growth could I ask for? I've added weekly yoga training to my UBBT.