07/08/2026
"I hate sports"
"I'm not good at running"
"I'll never be able to to do xyz"
"My yoga practice isn't serious because I don't do it every day"
"I don't fit in here because I'm not... (Young enough, skinny enough, rich enough, popular enough, etc etc etc)"
If any of these sound familiar, you're in good company. They sound familiar to me because I've felt each of them.
Last fall I started running on an elliptical machine twice a week. I started for a number of reasons; perimenopause and my dad's passing from diabetes and heart related complications were two of the biggest motivators.
Recently while running- breath deep, heart rate elevated, and oh so sweaty- I started thinking about these stories we tell ourselves. How many of these were even our stories to begin with? How many were told to us when we were younger? How have these stories woven their way into our current state of being?
As it turns out I do, in fact, like physical activity. Enough that I've made a career out of it for the last decade of my life. It may seem like a no brainier coming from a yoga teacher but I think my Physical Education teachers from junior high would be surprised to hear that I run voluntarily. They didn't think I was "good" at running either. They told me exactly what they thought of my physical capabilities.
I hated gym class, and looking back on it now I can see why. I wasn't supported by the folks who were supposed to be leaders. The coaches were mean. The students competitive. The approach all or nothing. Performance based on popularity and privilege.
A true coaches job is to empower and encourage, not stigmatize or shame, or deride. A true leader meets you where you are with grace, and helps you along the way.
Cont'd in comments...
