Let’s face it, even though I am a Yoga teacher and I have many, many hours of both practice and teaching under my belt, there are still PLENTY of poses that challenge me. I am not perfect and neither is my Yoga practice. It is often said that the poses you dislike or avoid are actually the ones you need the most, so as an exercise in “leaning in to the discomfort” I thought I would share with you some of the poses that challenge me the most, starting with the standing postures.

Now there are many other poses that challenge me or I don’t do perfectly, however these poses are the ones that “trigger” me. I feel frustrated by not being able to move my body in to these poses successfully (or gracefully!) and often when I am in a class, the mere introduction of these poses will invoke an eye roll and groan from me. However, what I have noticed, is that although these are some of my weaker poses to practice, I am very much able to teach them as I am very much aware of what I SHOULD be doing with my body. So, without further ado, I present my two most challenging standing postures...

Ardha Chandrasana:

I am VERY challenged by the balance in this pose (see video below) and really struggle with lining my hips up here. Also, my chest and shoulders are not lifted and opened as they should be.

Revolved Triangle:

Balance, opening through my shoulders, and grounding through my back leg while keeping my hips level are my biggest challenges in Revolved Triangle. But since it may be hard to tell just how challenging these poses are for me by pictures alone.... take a peek at the video below :)

So, what are the lessons here? Yoga teachers aren’t perfect, own your weaknesses and find a way to turn them into strengths, and don’t avoid things that are uncomfortable. Also, it’s ok to look a bit silly, even on the internet.

Check back here in a couple weeks for some of the other poses - seated and arm balancing - that I find most challenging.