Warrior, Won

Warrior One and Warrior Two are a couple of my absolutely favorite yoga poses. Without fail, when I rise from the ground with a steady stance, I feel calmer. Controlled. Okay.

I have yet to find comfort in Warrior Three (see below). Warrior Three is all about balance, something I am the first to admit I struggle with. It is all too easy to slide down a waterfall of frustration when you can’t get your ankle to remain solid, your footstep to stay true. Being me, I get irritated when I don’t accomplish something. I will always keep going at it, but I was only making small strides with Warrior Three. Like, very small strides. Wobbling ones.

Then, the other day, I tried Yoga with Adriene’s new video, No Fear Yoga. I am never sure what to expect when I start a new practice with her, but each video provides something refreshing and exciting to hang on to. This particular sequence surprised and thrilled me when I tried it, because for the first time, I stayed steady for Warrior Three. It was because Adriene didn’t tell us we were going to do it. She just said, “Okay, time to fly,” and suddenly it was Warrior One plus two. And I was doing it, because I hadn’t even thought about it. I hadn’t built it up in my mind for minutes before, mentally preparing to fail. I took this pose as just another pose. One I wasn’t afraid of. For the first time, I tackled Warrior Three without a heavy cloud of low expectations. I didn’t anticipate anything but success. And I did it.

This taught me a lot about how crucial attitude is to yoga practice. Silly, perhaps, because everyone knows yoga is about harmonious mind, body, and soul, but I hadn’t realized how much my own mind may be holding me back. It is worth noting that we did Warrior Three on the other leg, and I wobbled because I knew what was coming. It is better to just go with it, lean forward, and expect nothing. Then, no matter what, you are surprised by something.