Until recently, I’ve always disliked child’s pose. In fact, I’ve hated it. Each time a teacher introduces it as a warm and welcoming retreat, my mind would reject, and I’d lower myself down, body coiled and engaged, forcing myself to think of deadlines, or what’s for dinner, instead of embracing it as part of the flow. The pose doesn’t give me physical pain, but the stillness and security of it always stirs up emotions inside me that I always convinced myself I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with.
Weak, Small And Full Of Fear
Child’s pose made me feel weak, small and full of fear, and I eventually convinced myself that I didn’t need to participate in it, that I was better than it. I’d tell myself “I don’t need time for a rest, I’m here to work. This is a waste of time. “If only I realized before how wrong I’ve been all this time, rejecting vulnerability by associating it with weakness, mistaking security and safety for complacency.
Embracing Emotions To Move Forward
It’s easy to avoid child’s pose to sidestep the emotions of fear, confusion, and worry it might bring to the surface. It’s much simpler to feign it, keeping your body poised and prepared for the hardships that it might bring. But by pretending that our fears and worries don’t exist, we only feign strength to challenges and obstacles much larger than ourselves, and block ourselves off from empathy, and compassion – the emotions we must embrace to move forward. Lastly, and most importantly, preventing ourselves from being vulnerable means we avoid knowing our true selves, the person we need to rely on most to carry us through tough times.
Rocking Child’s Pose
Life is full of sadness and uncertainties. We can only hope that by staying true and present in every moment, good and bad, we can find reasons to love and laugh when times are grey. Now, I welcome the pose and embrace the emotions that come with it, thankful that I’m here to experience it all, as the person that I am rather than the one I think I should be.
