Ever meet those people who just seem to have it all together no matter what happens? No matter how bad it gets? In fact, the worse it gets, the more at peace and calm they get. I hate those people.
Seriously, I don’t hate those people. Although I wonder if they are alive.. awake.. conscious! We’re all yogis here and let’s face it… we are expected to up hold a peaceful persona… nothing is suppose to faze us.
Now take me for example… I am very dedicated to my yoga practice in many ways but sometimes I still feel like shit. Did I miss something at teacher training? You know the saying, shit happens. Well shit still happens regardless of your yogi status. Life’s woes still exist. Because I’m a yogi, I’m suppose to get the eff over it?
image: http://www.verylol.com/shit-happens-788
Lately, I’ve been hiding behind my practice. Instead of coming to the mat to renew and recharge, I came to the mat to escape and deny… the realities of my life… the confusion, the sadness, the pain, the unknown… my world as it seems to have been torn into a million pieces. Yet I roll out my mat. I practice. I kick my own asana. I get into poses that I’ve been scared of… but with no more fear because it is less scary than the world outside my 6×2 piece of rubber. I finish with a sense of accomplishment but the moment I roll my mat up, I feel the harsh, insensitive rush of reality bully it’s way back in. I feel bad… guilty… ashamed that I don’t know how to get the eff over my woes. What kind of yogi am I? What verse of the yoga sutras should I be reciting?
None people! No amount of yoga sutras or self help books will authentically help me get over my woes. I know this isn’t my typical warm fuzzy type post, but if you have woes like I do, I would challenge you to simply stand in them. You don’t have to stand in your own shit forever, but for some of us, it would surely be helpful to stand in your own shit long enough to smell that it stinks! I think in that smelly moment is where real yoga starts. The moment of awareness… for then you won’t have to just get the eff over it. Instead you can create a new possibility. Sounds good eh? I’ll try it on.
I will start standing in my own shit… starting tomorrow 
cause look what I was able to accomplish when I escaped my reality… a minute and a half of peace. I am reminded that my mat is my haven… no matter how I come to practice on it. For the moment I am on it, I’m connected to the real reality… my body in that present moment. I love my yoga.
Tags: Shit Happens, yoga awareness
Yogini, teacher, life coach, mom, lover, health food fanatic, beach bum to be, and fear conqueror who makes a mean salsa. 
oh the sh-eet! it smells, it’s yucky, but like that lovely kids books tells us, “everybody poops”.. well the adult version should be called “everybody steps in shit”, but i’m so impressed that you see that you are hiding on the mat, that you recognize your desire to bust out the shazam poses, and actually kinda leave your world behind (so you can be in the practice)… i send you tons of hugs and loves, ’cause we’ve all been there.. and i know at some point, you’ll get back to that shiny sparkly self that you rock so well.. because if anything the sh-eet polishes up all shiny and purdy..
xoxo
~liz
Yogis are human! Realizing the “s—” is the process of being present. Being present isn’t easy but it beats “checking out”. Your post hit right on.
This is so true! I’ve been neglecting my yoga time and I can tell the toll it’s taking on me.
hollaaaa! stand in that shiet…with wellies on.
If you really want to stand in your shit, try sitting.
Hugs Nikki!!!
unfortunately, i know exactly what youre talking about.
Thanks for this post! To be honest, to me yoga off the mat seems to be more challenging than on the mat. I totally see why some yogis might see their mat as “escape”. Taking yoga into “real life” and applying it to everyday situations is the really tricky thing. But – I’m working on it
That shit stinks but follows every one of us. There is a pile for us to step in whether we are barefoot or wearing Manolo Blahniks. Our mats are a place where we can go to dig deep and deal with it, or a place where we can run far away. Neither is right… neither is wrong. Yoga is providing for you what you need right now, why fight that? Embrace the outlet. When the time is right for the shit to rise inside it will.
I went through a similar battle with my practice two years ago. I was rocking every damn pose and looking through Dharma Mittra’s book to see which I could do next. If it wasn’t challenging it wasn’t awesome. Then one class I started feeling super angry and fighting myself in poses. Downward Facing Dog was excruciating b/c I knew the shit was rising to the surface and I didn’t want to go there. Finally I went to a class by a teacher other than my regular one… he created a space where churning and yet safety existed. The shit came up, I stepped in it and then I moved on and my yoga changed.
That day will come. Until then drink in the shazam, drink in the power and enjoy where you are. Wish I could help, but know you are not alone friend. xo