Be the Tailor of Your Life

Thought Offering
If it’s not the same, it’s not the same.
Alison West

Weekly Journal Prompts
Something in my life closet that just doesn’t fit is…
Can I tailor this or is it time to pass it on….
I can tailor it by….
or
I can release it by…

Weekly Mantras
I deserve a life that fits like a custom suit

Hello Sadhakas*!

I was sitting in a training with Alison West once and we were talking about modifying a pose. One of my fellow students asked if a modification was the same as another- and without missing a beat, Alison said
”No of course not. If it’s not the same, it’s not the same.”
It was a quick and small comment, but it was as HUGE “AHHA” moment for me as a teacher and as a yoga student. If something doesn’t fit, don’t keep slamming it into a box it doesn’t fit into- change the box! There is no one size fits all yoga pose- the best poses, the best lives-like the best clothes, are tailored to the individual wearing them. That my friends is what we are diving into this week.

This week ON THE MAT we are in week 4 of Camel Pose and looking at ALLLLLL of the variations of this shape and all of the different ways this shape shows up in the practice. I want you to take ownership over your choices; to lift the hips or not, to stand on the shins or sit on them, to alternate taking one hand back behind you or to take both, to pad the hands to lift the shape up or not. All of these subtle changes don’t make it a different pose, it makes it more accessible to serve you on any given day, in any given moment.
We also look at how this pose, turning it in space, becomes bridge pose or becomes bow pose. The same shape becomes a totally different shape by seeing it from another angle. Furthering our ability to customize!

OFF THE MAT I want us to use this week to look at how prescriptive we are about our lives. If it doesn’t fit, stop wearing it or tailor it, in ALLLL of the ways. Life was not meant to be experienced as an ill-fitting dress or someone else’s hand-me-downs. Fight to find the right fit and glow!!!

With Great Respect and Love,

Nicole

*For those of you who are new to the practice with me “Sadhaka” is a beautiful Sanskrit word to reference a person who is on a prescribed path towards a higher goal- and that my friend is now you! Welcome to a conscious way of moving through your life that will give you tools to change patterns that are no longer serving you and that are keeping you from feeling joy.