LIVE YOUR LIFE: The Comfy Zone

Friday, February 11, 2011

The Comfy Zone

Another great sleep last night after a great hot yoga session. Ya that's right.............I am giving Yoga a go. Thought my dad was going to have his second heart attack when I mentioned it. The tone in his voice was comical. You? Yoga? Is Uyen still with you? Are you alright? LOL! Too funny. I quite enjoy it actually. It is a great way for me to work on my range of motion and flexibility without actually thinking to hard about it. It makes "stretching" fun for me:) Not to mention the warmth of the hot yoga studio helps limber me up a little, if that is even possible! Will let you know when I can do the splits! I mentioned the splits to a buddy at the gym the other and he just laughed saying, "do you know how long that will take you?" I say, "challenge accepted!" For the record, it is going to take awhile, but I will do 'em. Mark my words.
As like most males out there I do not bend very well. It is kind of like trying to stretch out a frozen elastic band I am sure. Things are going to snap before actually stretching out any! Kind of sad that I have let it get to this. But steps are in place to rectify my current non-bendy state.
My first experience in a yoga class was much like a first experience with anything. Staring around in awe not know wether to shit or go blind. (sorry about the saying, but I like it) In other words, I had no idea what I was doing or what I was suppose to do. Looking to a few of my friends for some guidance, I was quickly shown the basics and how things were suppose to go. As the warmth of the room slowly warmed my body and the calmness in the instructors voice helped relax my "soul", I found myself in my own little world. AJ land if you will:) Completely relaxed and loosening up all those tight muscles and joints. Quite in tune with how my body was feeling and what needed to be done to relieve some of the acts and pains I was dealing with. By the end, it feels like a combination of confession (or what I think confession would be like if I went), a hot epsom salt bath with my favourite snack, maybe Coconut chocolate ice cream and fresh strawberries, and a great massage. Sounds pretty awesome hey? It is.
My point in this little story is that Yoga is great, but more importantly, it is way out of my comfy box and I am tackling it anyhoo. Challenging myself to do something that I am no good at, at the moment, and that I am completely uncomfortable with. Almost like getting up and doing karaoke completely sober in front of total strangers. Not my cup of tea.

A little after midnight waiting at the top of a zip line spanning a waterfall that we rappelled down . 18 hour adventure race a couple years ago. Never had done any rappelling until this evening!

I find that I get the most personal growth and sense of satisfaction when I do things that I am scared of. Things that are not in my comfy zone. I do not know how these things are ever going to turn out and how I am going to react to them, both physically and mentally. But that is what makes them so fun and enjoyable. It is like re-discovering yourself and who you are each time you step into your un-comfy zone. You never know how you're going to react until you're actually experiencing something. I find it really cool.
Although quite often it is the most challenging thing to do. (try something totally new that you may be petrified of) The benefits that come with over coming your fears and stepping out of your comfy zone to experience something you never thought was possible, are benefits that you will find no where else. They help you grow substantially, and let you know that you are quite capable of anything that you set your mind to. There is nothing quite like looking back at an event that you never thought you could have participated in, and saying to yourself, "ya..........I just did that. Bring on the next one."
So knock down the walls of your comfy little box and challenge yourself to do something that is not your cup of tea. Wether it is going for a longer walk, trying some different food, running 10km instead of 5km, or bungee jumping/sky diving. No matter what it is, throw yourself into it and hang on because I believe you will start discovering a new and better you:-) You're capable of anything and everything!