Unlocking Your Capacity for Tenacity with Yoga

Time flies...

I realized this past week that we'd reached an incredible milestone...and I'm not talking about my husband finally succumbing to Covid for the first time, although that has been quite the experience. Don't fret if you've encountered me this week; he is quarantining in the bedroom, I'm keeping the rest of the house in hospital-like condition, and I'm sleeping in our Airbnb casita.

What I am truly celebrating is the fact that we've now held six months of yoga classes! July 4th was America's birthday and our six-month studio anniversary! Say what you will about the state of our nation, there is an element of undeniable freedom we enjoy each and every day. The fact that, as a woman, I can own a small business is freedom. The fact that students can come to a class that promotes inner peace and wellness is freedom.

Also on my mind is the idea of tenacity, a trait I never considered admiring in other people, least of all myself. Today, I would say is my greatest superpower.

I'm not sure where it originates, this level of tenacity.

Perhaps it was forged during my early days in recovery, when I was stumbling toward freedom from alcohol one day at a time. Maybe it's the bloodline of determined (and often stubborn) farmers in my life, most notably my grandmother Polly. She lived on her own until her death in 2016, just three months shy of her 100th birthday. Wherever it started, I love that it feels so authentic once I've set my sights on an outcome, regardless of the hurdles and nagging impostor syndrome.

Tenacity took hold last July when I jotted down in my journal: "does Hico need a yoga studio?". Had the answer been no, I would have tabled the idea. Usually, however, by time I put pen to paper, there is no turning back.

I've had so many people share lately that I have inspired them to pursue their dreams, whether it is their own business idea, speaking up in personal matters, or even stepping foot in the studio for the first time.

I'm here to tell you: you have it in you.

There is no magic pill, no secret sauce, although I'd venture to say it is more like a recipe than anything else. A dash of confidence here, a pinch of courage there. Affirmations, small wins, a circle of support.

If you ever want to talk to me about how to go out and pursue your dreams with inner fire and zeal (tapas, in yoga, which we discussed in our studio classes last week), I'm here for you. In fact, it's on my list of workshops to offer in the studio but without other teachers this summer, I know my limits. Tenacity can't come at the expense of emotional, mental and physical bandwidth.

So the question I pose this week is - what's your superpower?

Celebration