Adaptability is a strength and I think it can be an act of self love too. It is not about giving in or getting run over. Through daily yoga practice we are able to connect, calm and strengthen so that we can unlock and unleash our adaptability super powers!
Hi everyone,
I write you from a most beautiful day in Austin, TX where it is finally safe (I think) to say that the season is changing.
With that, I have noticed my body begins to react to certain allergens in the air, the light at night and I begin to crave different foods. This weather, for whatever reason, inspires me do more yoga - on and off the mat.
Through yoga practice I connect to myself – and I’m starting to really honor and recognize that through regular practice I begin to expand my consciousness
Wowza.
Hefty yoga lady statement.
But it is so true and I find it so fascinating.
By focusing on myself I am able to expand my consciousness way beyond what I am craving to eat and what I want to wear.
Okay, seriously Adriene, real talk:
Through a regular practice and self-study we are able to become more adaptable beings.
The more I practice – the more opportunity I have to connect to my finest truest self. Then I begin to notice that I connect to the world with that same connect. It’s calmer, stronger and more open. I am able to go with the flow with ease.
Are you one of those people that go with the flow? Or are you just one of those people that says you go with the flow but when the flow gets F*$#+* you get lost.
I don’t intend to be mean or even strict here. I speak from experience – and of course - I’m trying to be a little funny. But really, it is so easy to say you adapt and flow with ease – but when the going gets tough the roots are frayed and the foundation is cracked, ultimately you are not able to adapt with a sense of grace or ease.
This is has been one of my personal self-study subjects as of late. I am noticing that I want to be able to adapt and go with the flow all the time – my intention is there! I am good! I swear!
But when the fart smell hits the fan – sometimes, I crash.
I hope it goes without saying that, of course, we learn from mistakes – we embrace them - we forgive ourselves and live and learn. But I want to live better. I really want to be true to myself and be true to my intention of being a highly adaptable and go with the flow person.
So – this week I invite you to focus on just that.
The Art Of Adaptability
Just like in our yoga practice, I invite you to focus not solely on the physical ways you can adapt - but on the energetic ways as well.
Yoga practice and meditation is energetic hygiene! So reap all the benefits as you embrace The Art Of Adaptability this week.
Practice Yoga daily as a way to connect to yourself and build your adaptability powers!
Notice that when you are not connecting to yourself through practice or alone time your adaptability powers may be depleted or even non-existant. You might feel fed up, impatient or agitated.
You might want to give up.
With your new adaptability powers you will be able to stick with it and go with the flow.
Walk the talk. Talk the walk.
The next time your body shows a limitation – notice how you react.
The next time your plans change or your expectations are not met - notice how you react.
Can you stay calm, strong, creative and connected to your finest truest self?
I dare you to try.
Let's do it!
Please share ways in which you were able to take on this dare and cultivate your powers. I welcome your approach, your experience and your struggles.
Your feedback is important and inspires.
Love,
Adriene
Uplifting words. Thanks
hi Adriene,
So i just saw your post and it again reminded me of what i went through today!
okay i'm swiss canadian an living in cologne but my english isnt sooo good so excuse my mistakes.
So... I've just started my physiothrapist schooling and i moved to cologne 2 weeks ago.... 11 Days ago i broke my arm while skateboarding.... I'm coming home everyday after school, my eyes half filled up with tears, my head filed with anxiety and a huuuuge critisizer who judges me ALL THE FREAKN TIME!!!
So i did some Yoga a few Month ago and it did really help, and now i see you Post and i tell myself, yeah you do intend to NOT stick to certain things as meditation or yoga, even though i know that it helps me.... and i know that i cant expect from you to help me do it, i just have to do it! But you post just reminded me that it really would help me to meditate and move my body and do yoga with myself and you and it would help me to start loving myself more because i'm really fighting against myself, and it hurts me sooo badly to see how i am treating myself! it's not nice these thoughrs i'm telling me in my head, like i wont make my school and this world is to big for you and you wont be able to get through with all thse responsabilities and stuff, but i know that if i have a clear head i can do it very easely! Anyway... thanks for the Post:)
kind regards
julie
it gives me strength to restart doing yoga.. thats what i actually wanted to post!=)
Adriene,
You're so awesome and real... i love that! I am so grateful I found your videos. I've recently been in a rough patch in my life and have been on a roll coaster of trying to find a workout plan that works for me. I have never been more in love with yoga and I think I totally found my niche! You rock. Keep doing what your doing, it's catchy. Also, I totally agree with you on this one. Why be normal.. when everyone has their own hidden potential.. it's just the matter of finding it.
-Sam
Hey Adriene,
I am 25y old landscape engineering student from Czech Republic,
I started yoga with you on YT 2 weeks ago and I enjoy going on particularly the Verve. No rules !
Cause I feel a lot of gratitude, I just had to write it down.
Performing long-rage hug atm. THX !
regards kindly
Ondra
Hiya.
As someone who has - and still are - struggeling with depression and anxiety, your words are inspirational.
I have only followed your channel for a few months,( and I struggle to make it to the mat each day, some days it isn´t possible) but I feel the good that the yoga does for me.
It makes me have to take time out from my head and just breathe.
It relaxes me and actually makes me feel good about myself (at least for a bit), and helps me on the way to get myself centered and to try to let go of the things that aren´t useful to me, to connect to myself, as you so aptly put it.
I can also feel the positive difference in my body, although I´m in no way stressing about the beach body, it will come with time ( I hope!) I am stretchier and actually get of the floor without using my arms in a cobra. 😀
It also has helped loosening my completely seized-up lower-back (trauma to the tailbone yeaaars ago) and with easing sciatica pains.
Yoga is the best thing ever and I have every intention of keeping it up for the future!
Looking forward to new videos and words of inspiration!
Thanks! 🙂
Yoga helps me so much to stay excited about every day and to be aware of every moment.
Adriene, you are changing lives!!!
Love,
xoxo
Love this! I'm a high school teacher, and the past few weeks, I've been setting my morning intention to "find humor". Much better to laugh myself thru the day, rather than stress over it all. And I have found a ton of humor! Even when the photocopier is broken or we've run out of paper (and its only October)...you just have to laugh and adapt. Easier said than done!
This week, I'm liking "go with the flow"...because that's really what I need to do. Teachers have to learn to adapt on a minute to minute basis, otherwise we can get so frazzled and burned out.
Thanks for this!
Amen, Sister Teacher!
Hi Adrienne (and all),
This is gold. This newsletter was something I really needed to read today. I am in the middle of a pretty hefty fall semester right now, and I am beginning to feel the pressure. With a baby girl (10 months old and a yogi to boot - the more I look at her and the way she moves, the more I understandabout the way yoga works), and two classes to teach, my own class load AND my "artsy fartsy" apprenticeship, I am keeping busy. Sometimes, while I am very understanding of the limitations of others, I am unable (unwilling?) to listen to what my own body tells me - and to acknowledge my own weaknesses, or limitations. I feel tired a lot now that fall is here. Sometimes, this tiredness "gets in the way" of the things I want to do (be a mother and a lover, grade papers, get straight A's in my studies, and become a top notch piercer/tattoo artist), and rather than forgiving myself for being tired, I beat myself up. I can be really mean to myself.
But when I do yoga (and I just realized yesterday that I need to have a mat at my school office), I am able to do everything with ease and grace. I was in the middle of the first week of REBOOT when I fell ill, and tumbled off the yoga wagon. I am setting my intention to REBOOT again, from video 1 and all the way through now that my health has recovered itself. I set my intention to be good to me, to spend time with me every day in some form or another (through meditation, or through yoga, or a walk with the most amazing beagle in the world), and to practice my art with joy.
Thank you, Adriene, for Being and for creating a space where Being can unfold.
Namaste,
Bea (all the way from NoDak, yo!)
I really enjoyed your post Adrienne, It resonated with my daily discipline of yoga. It's hard to practise alone (there are no classes to go to where I live in Nigeria) but it's also the essence. Coming back to me, back to my home inside my body. Im not trying to sound cheesy either really I swear! It is so true though, and yoga allows me to be in my body like nothing else. and once you're inside you can take on the outside with more awareness and presence.
I begin my practise with saying to myself 'Now the discipline of Yoga'.
I love your yoga, it's organic and funny and bright... keep giving; it's making the world a better place xx
B
I feel like these words were important for me to read. Thank you for writing them!
I'm facing the prospect of leaving everyone I love next January to do a clinical practice year in a different state, something I need to do in order to become a fully qualified Radiation Therapist.
I don't even know how to write about it, I've been living on the verge of tears for days now. I'm struggling massively with the prospect of leaving my boyfriend, only to see him on the odd weekend. It's hurting like hell but I know I need to try to adapt.
Hey Adriene,
I've been following you for two - three months now. Not long, I know, but long enough to notice some differences in myself, physical and mental. With the seasons changing, there a lot of things shifting around me and I usually find myself agitated. In the summer I would do my yoga in the mornings before work and it felt great but now the weather is getting too cold for early mornings. Last week I didn't practice at all but this week I've started doing my yoga after work. There was a time that I would say I can't work out after work. It turns out I can 🙂 right now it feels real good to practice in the evenings. And I am just going to go with the flow. I promised myself no judgement! This post touched on so many things that have been going through my mind lately. Thank you for sharing 🙂
'one thing at a time' - that works the best for me!
I have to concentrate on what I'm doing and slide 100% into it, that's where I become one with what I'm doing. doesn't matter if it's yoga, work, cooking, walking, reading, listening to music, cleaning... it's always loud inside my head, so by taking everything more or less step by step I connect to myself. my biggest step forward was not to hurry, I put myself first in everything I do now.
My life has changed so much since finding yoga. I have a hard time understanding why. Tara Stiles often says that how we practice on the mat is how we practice in life too. I guess that's it. I have become more patient, more go with the flow, and more compassionate.
Thanks for the encouraging words and videos!
I'm at the home stretch for my wedding, 11/7 is the day, and I'm finding adapability to be coming semi easy. For example I had to change my favors and I will admit that after a little while of searching I was starting to get fustrated when the universe answered and a great website appeared. Boom new favors ordered! Yoga has been a great teacher in terms of adapting.
Thank you for your wonderful posts, Adriene. I found your blog and videos this summer and they have been so beneficial for me. I am a middle-school teacher, and yoga really helps to maintain my sanity!
It's almost eerie how your blog posts match up with what's going on in my life. I am currently dealing with a particularly tricky group of 6th graders, and MAN, have I had to work on being adaptive! September was rough, but we're finally figuring each other out 🙂
One thing I've noticed is they are very kinesthetic, and get really wiggly during the middle of the period. I see them for a 55 minute chunk of time, in a small classroom, and I don't really work in an institution that would allow me to bring them outside randomly, so am feeling kind of stuck. I also feel a full "brain-break" (such as 3 minutes of dancing to a silly song to burn off some energy, as some educational resources suggest) would dissolve them into chaos.
This is all my long winded way of asking, can you recommend a 1-2 minute yoga sequence for 10-11 year olds that could be done standing beside their desks? To foster focus and calm?
I will try and piece something together myself, but would love your input.
Thanks for all that you do.
Thank you for this post. I went from enjoying yoga every week. But really at first for a fitness aspect, that quickly turned into something more mental and spiritual for me. Of course, life as it does, hit the fan. I stopped going to classes as much. Then, boom, all together stopped practicing. I was in an agitated, depressive state for a while. A friend of mine told me about your YouTube channel and I began practicing and following you last night. Its gonna be a journey to re discover myself again, but I can't wait! This post inspired me even more. Enjoy your beautiful Austin fall day! (Lived there for 3 years, so gorgeous)
Hello Adrienne,
I can totally connect with this post. I started a daily routine of yoga (using your wonderful videos) and meditation every morning for the past 8 months.
It has taken awhile but slowly I am seeing the subtle shifts. I saw the physical improvements before the inner ones. But through daily practice I feel the shift in my thinking and patterns of negative thought changing for the better.
I notice I'm less impacted by what happens in my life and can for the most part adapt. I am in no way perfect and still can resort to old behaviors. However, there is still a lifetime of learning left. We just have to keep at it. This is not a short term yoga "diet". This is a practice I plan to continue indefinitely.
Namaste
Hey Adriene,
You're the bomb girl! Your honesty is so inspiring. I think there are things we talk about and things we don't talk about. You have inspired me to talk about what usually is not talked about. So here it goes (it's a little lengthy).
Has anyone ever asked why and where does the imbalances come from. I know physiologically what's going on, but that's just symptomatic. Everything physiological is a response to spiritual energy. If you take a moment or two to stop and ask, "where the is this shift coming from?" You'll realize it's like a subtle wind that ruffles you. You can even recognize that it is an energy coming from (not within) but without. Like we're being acted upon...not us acting upon ourselves. To consider that there is an anti force in the universe is not so far off. For me, understanding that has opened a new door of freedom, release, and empowerment, but I had to step through, reject denial, and become, the more than mortal being that I really am, otherwise, there will be no real victory. Only band-aids. Wounds attract microorganism that like to feed off of the disease...and so does other spiritual entities that are sick (be it embodied (human) or dis-embodied (non-human). But when we begin to heal our wounds, and our spiritual consciousness heals we become stronger, and those entities no longer have anything to feed off of, so they dissolves, and so does the torment. My dark seasons and deep emotional struggles have taught me powerful spiritual lessons, but the most important one is, depression comes from a force pressing down upon an object until it is no longer present. We are mighty creatures, our power and potential is eternal, and limitless. We seek balance for this very reason, and we also seek wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. For we are not just human. Let's explore the next dimension...we are designed to! And we will be guided 🙂
Perfect... exactly what I needed to hear this at time in my life. Thank you for helping me on my journey 🙂
Hi Adriene,
What's the difference between snowmen and snowwomen?
Snowballs.
Love your site ,love your style Hope your having a kickass day.
A big part of adaptability for me is not falling into all-or-nothing thinking. If I eat something unhealthy for dinner, it doesn't do any good to punt on cleaning up my diet and go back to eating whatever. Instead, I make sure I eat a healthy breakfast the next morning. Whatever happens the rest of the day, I get stressed and run out of willpower or whatever, at least I can say I put something good in my body. May not sound like much to anyone else, but it doesn't have to.
Say 'whatever' again, I dare you. I double-dare you...
I'm having a hard time focusing right now. In need of some yoga for heartache... (Classic scenario - seeing my ex with his new girlfriend, all happy and in love) I'm feeling aaall the feels!
It's a rainy morning in Amsterdam, I just finished my practice inspired by your travel yoga sequence (the one with the seal 🙂 and then came to check out your website. No coincidence I stumbled upon this post because it's just what I needed to hear/read I feel like. I have a difficult uni exam coming up tomorrow and today I was starting to surrender to the feelings of anxiety, exhaustion and doubt and even frustration from the weather but hey, you reminded me that I can do this, dance through it all with ease and peace. So thank you very much for this and see you some other morning (or other time of the day). Hugs!
Hi Adriene! I've happened on your yoga videos while searching on You tube, and they are just right! I'm in my early 40's, and have had scoliosis my whole life, but I've learned to manage it through gentle exercise. Any tips for those of us aging "gracefully" trying to practice yoga? Also, suggestions specifically for scoliosis stretches or movements? Appreciate the feedback, and thanks for making yoga a little more low key and fun!
~Jane
Hi Adriene! I'm a bit late replying to this post. Better late than never, heh? I just found your blog and inspiring videos last week, so I'm still a complete beginner for sure, but I enjoy it tremendously. I try keeping a twice-a-day routine, and the one thing it helps me most with is to quiet my mind from all the chatter our daily connectedness to the world brings. It helps me focus on my tasks for the day, instead of randomly checking Facebook or whatever. This is important to me, because it gives me the strength and focus to finish my portfolio work and hopefully get a job again soon. Only then can the rest of my life fall back into place again. Yoga = Focus. Thank you for your inspiring videos and blog. I'm s till reading through all of your past entries, and I enjoy everyone of them. I'm looking forward to reading more from you soon 🙂
Hey Adrien,
I am an Indian living in Australia for the last 3 years. I used to do yoga on a semi-regular basis when I was back in India but due to major life changes my connection with yoga was lost. Given the fact that I am a big foodie who loves to cook and eat I have put on some weight and look chubby.
A few months ago I discovered your videos on youtube (Love yoga for weight loss) and now I am huge follower. I am still not a regular on the mat but I strongly intend to work on and adapt to this new change of giving myself some 'me' time and do what 'makes me feel good'.
Thank you for motivating me.
Namaste,
Shefali
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