No Challenge, No Change

Change is uncomfortable. Realize it, accept it, and embrace it. Challenging yourself on your mat might might mean taking one more breath in a pose when you are getting tired before resting in child.

People tend to cling to stability and comfort, but your personal transformation requires you to step into new environments, meet new people, and do things that you're not used to. You need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. And that is scary.

Physiologically, fear and excitement are nearly identical. Your heart races, you sweat, you shake, you cry. You naturally want to quit or run away. When you start to feel fear, reframe it and tell yourself that you're just excited. Embrace the feeling, and work through it. Don't let it stop you. Remember, the pose begins when you want to leave it.

When you challenge yourself and begin to change, the people around you will react. Some will support you, and some will work actively to resist you.

Build up your inner strength and realize that you don't need anyone's approval. If they give it to you, that's a gift. If they don't, you know what you're doing and why, and you only need yourself as a cheerleader.

Most of the greatest thinkers and doers in history were ridiculed and chastised when they created change. When you better yourself, you should expect the same. That's just proof that you're on the right path.