YOGA
AUTHENTIC COURAGE on the Yoga Mat
T
o fully embrace ourselves and our life experiences requires us to have authentic courage. Brené Brown writes, ‘Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line.” And I couldn’t agree more. We are all vulnerable, but it is the willingness to share our vulnerability, the truth about ourselves and our experiences that is courageous. Recently I have become increasingly aware of the fact that it is my yoga practice, more than anything else that invites me to explore my vulnerability, acknowledge my fears and find the courage to face whatever comes my way. To have authentic courage we must be willing to offer ourselves the freedom to be who we really are, to be vulnerable and honest about our life experiences, the impact they have on us, and how we choose to meet them. Yoga offers us an invitation to investigate how we show up for ourselves and how we open or close to our experiences. If we let it, our practice can become an exercise in courage - strengthening our courage both on and off our mats. The following is my story of how yoga helped me embrace authentic courage and put my vulnerability on the line. ((0