![\"0086_2233\"](\"http:\/\/images.elephantjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/0086_2233-680x1019.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I recently told you who I think a yogi is\u2014and a love for recreating hip-looking Instagram photos of asanas has nothing to do with it.<\/a><\/p>\n Still, there\u2019s a reason that we want to try challenging postures.<\/p>\n For one, if you\u2019re someone with\u00a0perpetual monkey mind<\/em>\u00a0(an official condition, mind you), then practicing hard-working postures on your mat can help bring you back into your body.<\/p>\n For another, they\u2019re fun.<\/p>\n But what if they\u2019re not?<\/p>\n What if you\u2019re scared, but physically able?<\/p>\n Well, then I\u2019d say consider yourself an average bear\u2014many people are mentally intimated by postures that their bodies could likely access.<\/p>\n Yet, even though you\u2019re feeling frightened, a tiny voice inside of you can\u2019t be quieted. It\u2019s telling you to try. This\u00a0small, possibly wise, piece of you knows that you can do much more than you\u2019re giving yourself credit for.<\/p>\n In honor of yogis everywhere who really want to rock out, but are afraid to even get on the starting block, here are a few mindful tips.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1. Set up your foundation.<\/strong>\u00a0If you\u2019d like to, say, try a headstand, then make sure you\u2019re accessing the correct muscles for the pose. In other words, get in touch with the reality that much of headstand\u2019s power comes from your strong core\u2014engagement through your shoulder girdle and engaged transverse abdominals, for example. Another possible area of weakness in regards to headstand is your legs<\/a>\u2014I swear, the second someone goes upside down, she often forgets she has legs connected to her body.<\/p>\n Learn where you need to strengthen, as well as where you need tostop unnecessarily gripping (like the jaw and upper traps, at the base of your neck) and work asanas that don\u2019t intimidate to help build confidence<\/a>.<\/p>\n Are noodle legs a weakness once inverted? Then try focusing on reaching your leg long and strong in a familiar pose like three-legged dog.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2. Let go of the final pose.<\/strong>\u00a0First, let go completely of what you think the pose should look like. Forcing ourselves into a photograph, while not connecting with the sensations in our bodies, leads to injury. Secondly, here\u2019s my main tip: don\u2019t even attempt the final posture. Let me explain, and let\u2019s stick with using headstand for simplicity\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d really love to try a headstand then make sure, in addition to working with a qualified teacher, that you completely forget about trying the headstand at all.<\/p>\n Instead, experiment with what it feels like to set up your arms (whether in traditional or tripod) and extend through your legs as you would in downward-facing dog. If this feels pretty good (and there’s no dumping through the shoulders) then maybe play with reaching one leg long, a la three-legged dog.<\/p>\n If, however, you\u2019ve found that your core is the less than stellar spot, try staying in headstand prep and hugging your knees into your chest (if in tripod, rest your knees in your triceps, much like that frog thing we did back in elementary school gym class).<\/p>\n In short, stop thinking that yoga postures are all or nothing\u2014they\u2019re not. Even yogis that are comfortable in the full pose that intimates you the most almost definitely have days when they, too, are modifying.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3. Listen to your body.<\/strong>\u00a0Okay, so you\u2019re ready to try the pose that scares you. What\u2019s your body saying? Our bodies will let us know when we shouldn\u2019t go any farther. Going deeper just for the sake of a mythical end result might not be smart. On the other hand, if you\u2019re able to reach out for more sensation and yet you\u2019re backing away mentally\u2014not letting your body fully engage\u2014then you\u2019re possibly doing yourself a huge disservice.<\/p>\n Personally, I stand by the \u201cbetter safe than sorry\u201d motto, but I also believe that most of us are far more capable than we think.<\/p>\n Keep playing your edge, pushing it just a little bit more each time, and you might discover that you have more in you than you ever thought possible\u2014and how empowering is it to take that feeling with you when you step off of your mat<\/a>?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 4. And listen to your brain too.<\/strong>\u00a0We have intellects for a reason. If you\u2019re scared, then consider listening to that. Sure, overcoming self-imposed limitations is honestly the biggest reason that I even give certain postures a shot, but there\u2019s also a point where we have to be authentic.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re scared, that\u2019s okay. Honor that. Don\u2019t nurture it and feed it and always give into, but honor it.<\/p>\n Maybe that means your dream yoga pose won\u2019t happen today\u2014the good news is that there\u2019s tomorrow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5. Carry your successes, rather than your failures, with you off of your mat.<\/strong>\u00a0I generally don\u2019t beat myself up on my mat. If a pose isn\u2019t accessible to me, then I really don\u2019t care. Why? Because that\u2019s not why I come to my mat in the first place.<\/p>\n