I’m saying it, so it must be true

“When you can’t *what*, Mary?”

Exactly.

Here are some suggestions for when you are angry, or hurting, and you want to take action but you wonder whether you can do anything.

• When you can pour your heart out in writing, do.

• When you can’t pour your heart out, write a paragraph.

• When you can’t write a paragraph, write a sentence.

• When you can’t write a sentence, write an idea on an Evernote post.

• When you can do yoga, do yoga.

• When you can’t do yoga, do only 3 poses.

• When you can’t do 3 poses, get on child’s pose and cry.

• When you can’t get on child’s pose and cry, lie down on your mat and breath.

• When you can sit on a cushion and meditate, meditate.

• When you can’t meditate, listen to a guided meditation.

• When you can’t listen to a guided meditation, lie down and breath.

• When you can’t lie down and breath, take 3 conscious breaths.

• When you are angry, stomp on your feet (over the yoga mat).

• When you can’t stomp, get on child’s pose and cry.

• When you can’t get on child’s pose and cry, silent cry.

• When you can’t silent cry, silent scream.

In short:

• When you can’t do anything, acknowledge just how much you wish you could do something.

• When you can’t acknowledge that, forgive yourself.

• When you can’t forgive yourself, wish you could.

• When you can’t wish, acknowledge that.

The point is this. In yoga (and all the “working with your stuff” work) you can always do something.

It may not feel like you’re doing something. But you are.

As Havi says, you can always go smaller. Always allow yourself to be where you truly are.

Sure, it’s scary. But that’s precisely how we learn to work with our stuff.

PS: Wanna link up on Facebook?

PPS: Check out Marianne Elliott’s post on not practicing yoga for (gasp!) 5 weeks.