Lara Tupper: Swift Ink Stories

Permission to Do Less

I used to attend daily yoga classes. Peer pressure, in this context, was an apt motivator. I stayed on my mat, despite my mood or energy level, anchored by fellow yogis.

But at home one day, alone, I twisted just so -- and injured my back. Forward bends became excruciating. Though attentive teachers urged me to make adjustments in class, to listen to my body and proceed with caution, I couldn’t allow myself to do “less.” I felt compelled to do all or nothing.

I soon had to opt for nothing...until I found an apt online challenge for a compulsive like me: 30 days of short, gentle yoga sessions. I completed the month, treated myself to a commemorative T-shirt, and kept going. 

I learned to be easier on myself. The key was giving myself permission to do shorter practices. I know this is true of writing. If I only have 10 minutes, so be it; at least it’s something. It hadn’t occurred to me to apply this idea to yoga.

(To read the rest of my essay, please see Kripalu Resou…