I am so happy to know i'm not the only one who has yogic ambivalence/ exercise guilt. It was getting to the point where I was so black & blue from all the beating-myself-up i'd been doing that i had to give myself a stern talking-to and ask: who really cares? It's so easy to go about your day imagining there's a jury of disapproving Victorian grandmothers witnessing your every move. I can hear their tuts as i eschew yoga in favour of DVDs and chocolate; i feel the icy chill from their raised eyebrows when I let emails flounder in my inbox for months, put off until a day that just never arrives. But the voice that tells me it's not good enough is my own; we can be our own bestfriends all we like, but once in a while the cruel nemesis will visit, and boy has she got a lot to say! So this week I'm trying an experiment: every time i want to be mean to myself (for whatever reason) i'm going to be kind instead. Even if it's just a supportive word or two in my journal. Or an extra-long soak in the bath after a day that might not have gone to plan (like today). Some daily gratitude lists might be in order too...
Do you need to be more kind to yourself too?
Always.
Posted by: debi | Aug 24, 2009 at 07:23 PM
Absolutely. And thanks for the reminder!
Yoga is actually the ONLY excercise that I enjoy, but I feel constant excercise guilt (along with lots of other types of guilt, of course) for not using my bike more than a few times a summer, or wanting to go on long hikes or swimming laps everyday or oh... any number of other activities when what I really want is to sit reading and sipping an iced latte in a pretty little café.
So yes, I can relate.
Good idea about the re-training yourself to be kind. I like the swirly pink icing, the polka dots and the lovely teapots too - they certainly feel soft and kind to the eye.
Posted by: Christine | Aug 24, 2009 at 07:54 PM
man we're on the same page.. I'm going to try that experiment.
Posted by: Randi | Aug 24, 2009 at 08:02 PM
Oh yes oh yes I do!
And I think 'yogic ambivalence' is the best phrase ever.
xx
Posted by: Jo | Aug 24, 2009 at 08:48 PM
Why do we beat ourselves up so? I'm my own harshest critic...and rarely my own best friend. Yes, self-kindness, could be a new mantra.
Posted by: Pebbledash | Aug 24, 2009 at 09:20 PM
Oh, it can be so hard to be nice to yourself! This sounds like a great experiment!
Posted by: blue bicicletta | Aug 25, 2009 at 01:07 AM
You told us who made the ceramics - who made the sweets?! They look too good to be true. I hate to say it but I love yoga, and chocolate (and gellies and sour candies...)
Posted by: Kim | Aug 25, 2009 at 01:38 AM
agree to kindness to self, i did just that yesterday. it felt good. metta, in ssnskrit means lovingkindness and thats the name of my little blog :)
Posted by: alison | Aug 25, 2009 at 02:28 AM
Ah, lovely Susannah ... aren't we our own worst critic? The sweets look pretty and yummy.
Posted by: Roxanne | Aug 25, 2009 at 02:29 AM
'loving kindness'
two beautifully
perfect words
touching
my
heart
today.
thank you xx
Posted by: linni | Aug 25, 2009 at 02:58 PM
Well, okay ... I had to pop on and say, as a yoga teacher, that you practice yoga in more ways than you realize! I find the people who wax on and on about how wonderful yoga is, often are not really practicing Yoga in its fullest sense. The physical postures are one way to begin To Practice ... but they are not intended to be the be-all end-all. And by extending Loving Kindness towards yourself, you are tapping into the wisdom that Yoga is trying to teach: that at our core, we are Goodness, we are Love (and worthy of love), and we are Whole (there is nothing to be fixed; rather the false beliefs and habits of mind and body that separate us from experiencing the Truth of who we are need to be recognized and then dropped.)
I'm not saying that yoga classes don't teach this ... but most of us get absorbed in the physicality of it and miss the message. There are lots of paths in Yoga ... I'd say you are probably more of a Bhakti yogini ... the path of Love and devotion :)
Okay, I'm putting the patchouli away and taking off my pashmina shawl now ...
and in the spirit of full disclosure: I practice yoga AND I drink coffee and eat sweets. Oh, I've been known to have a beer or a glass of wine now and then ... so my credentials may be less than pristine ...
Posted by: Lis | Aug 25, 2009 at 04:40 PM
oh yes, do i ever beat myself up about things- little things usually, exercise guilt among them. thank you for that image of the tuttutting victorian grandmothers- perfect! now, i'll be able to shush them right back whenever they pipe up!
best of luck in being kind to yourself. know that you're not AT ALL alone.
Posted by: Stephanie | Aug 25, 2009 at 04:55 PM
loving you so much right now.
and loving me, too.
three weeks till we dance....
xoxoxo lisa
Posted by: doorways traveler | Aug 25, 2009 at 04:58 PM
I'm doing better now than I used to ... In a couple of years, I hope it will be perfect ;o)
Posted by: Catherine | Aug 25, 2009 at 08:59 PM
Oh I do. I'm so mean to myself, if I was my friend and I treated myself like I do, I wouldn't be my friend anymore. I need to do a gratitude list too. Thanks for the great idea.
Posted by: Busymomma66 | Aug 26, 2009 at 01:41 AM
Thank you so much for posting this - right on the money for me today! Love the idea of the tut-tutting Victorian Grandmothers. Give 'em curry!
Posted by: Von | Aug 26, 2009 at 06:01 AM