Gratitude For Discomfort
By Jennifer Kelleher
Take a few connected breaths to arrive into presence. Once you’re feeling calm and centered, I invite you to recall a difficult time in your past that, standing where you are today, you are able to look back and feel gratitude for the challenge because of what it taught you and how it forced you to expand and rise above. Recognize that this experience played a role in making you all that you are. Stay in the feeling of gratitude for this life event for as long as you’d like. The next time you find yourself in a challenge, I encourage you to remember how you’ve gotten through difficult times before, and to acknowledge that it was in part the hard things that opened up your awareness and molded you into a better human being.
It can be natural to feel grateful for the beautiful, fun, happy, light things in life, but what about the challenges? I have found that my most challenging moments have caused me to grow and expand the most. Even when I was less aware, I always knew deep inside that everything in my life was happening for me and an integral part of a greater plan. It was this inner knowing that has helped me to hold gratitude in my heart, even during my darkest, most difficult hours. I believe it has been gratitude and trust that have allowed me to move through life’s storms with a certain amount of grace and calm.
When it comes to life’s experiences, I try not to judge them as good or bad. Some experiences or times of life are lighter and more comfortable, while others are denser and a bit uncomfortable– the entire spectrum is important and part of our experience here on earth. I view the heavy things that come through in life as bringing us grounding. They are our higher power’s way of telling us to slow down, to look at the way we are living, and to do things differently. They signal us to pause and reprioritize where we are putting our attention so that we may come into greater alignment. The heavy, dense things also tend to make us feel uncomfortable, which is important for our evolution because if we are always comfortable, we might not ever move!
This brings me to the next idea that I’ve been playing with. I hypothesize that if we make the conscious decision to ground ourselves and to regularly nudge ourselves outside of our comfort zone, the universe doesn’t have to hit us with these big surprise, life-shattering challenges. Some examples include: having the uncomfortable yet necessary conversation, pushing yourself in your workouts, letting go of an unhealthy addiction, trying something new, or putting yourself out there in a different way. If you start to play with this idea, my advice is that you take a few moments to ground beforehand and prioritize the breath throughout so that you can stay embodied and somewhat calm as you do the difficult or new thing. I really like using an Ujjayi Breath, where you breathe in and out of your nostrils while gently constricting the back of your throat so that you can softly hear your breath like an ocean wave. You can also try a 1:2 breath, where your exhale is two times the length of your inhale.
In closing, yoga is a great way to prepare yourself for life– physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I invite you to join us for classes and workshops. We are located on the third floor of the Belle Harbor Yacht Club. Parking in the lot downstairs. All are welcome! See offerings and sign up at oceanblissyoga.net. Call or text me with any questions at 917-318-1168.
