Vulnerable is Good

The farther I go down this path of yoga, the more I feel it:

Vulnerability is a good thing.

Opening our hearts… that is the practice.

To sit with what is.

To sit with the uncomfortable, the difficult, the unexpected.

To clear stuck energy and make space for what we need.

Today, at the end of teaching class, I welled up with tears.

“May all beings be happy, and free,” I said, bowing forward. “Namaste.”

These are the words I’ve been speaking lately, as I end each practice.

The energy in the room, and that thought of us sending it out into the world to bless others— it filled my heart so suddenly and fully with a joy I could not contain.

I allowed the moment, and the tears.

Vulnerable… open… seen. This is where yoga brings us, and it is beautiful.

If you want to learn how to experience your emotions without forcing them away, practice yoga. If you want to learn to soften your heart. If you’re ready to let go of your past and to heal, and feel lighter, this practice is for you.

If you’ve been putting up walls and shutting people out for fear of getting hurt— get to your mat. Go running to the nearest class and begin. Know that it will be uncomfortable. Know that it will take time. Know, too, that you are capable of things you don’t yet realize are possible.

Yoga poses are a physical method for creating vulnerability in the body. They help us overcome fear. They help us re-wire our thoughts, and they help us to process our emotions.

The space where we practice is a sacred space. It’s meant for healing.

And so, just know that the stage has been set. The opportunity is there for you. All you have to do is show up, and to give what you can.

And you will open.

Photos by Jeremy Baker of JJ Baker Photo - Fine Art Yoga Portraiture.