The very first time we held downward dog, we were on vacation in North Carolina. We dropped into a local studio, and the instructor told us, “Let’s settle into a nice 10-minute down dog.” Ten minutes! My shoulders burned, my wrists complained, and my heels dangled miles from the mat.
At first, all I wanted was out. But when escape wasn’t an option, something shifted. We started noticing. Where we were gripping. Where we could soften. How a bend in the knees changed everything. How simply breathing made space we didn’t know was there.
That long hold turned downward dog from a pose we dreaded into a practice we learned from. Not perfect. Not easy. But ours.
That’s the magic of any practice. If you stay just long enough to get curious, the struggle turns into discovery.
So here’s your experiment: Pick a pose you usually avoid. Stay for 30 seconds today. Don’t try to fix it. Don’t force it. Just explore. You may find it becomes your pose too.
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