The Yoga of the Olympics

Have you been keeping up with the Summer Olympics this week? Once again, I’m completely enamored, impressed, and inspired by these amazing athletes from around the globe. Their heartwarming stories of trials, failures, injuries, successes, and true dedication light me up and make me want to do and be better! 

And, of course, I see in these athletes something we yogis are always going for in our postures and daily lives: 

The balance of effort and ease, or sthira and sukha. 

It seems counterintuitive to look at the high level of effort and discipline it takes to become an elite athlete (or an elite anything) and think there is some ease there, but I believe there is. Just watch the swimmers. They are ALL IN with their physical and mental abilities. They are pushing to their absolute edge. At the end, they are panting and red. And yet…

There is such grace and beauty as they move through the water. There is no flailing. There is absolutely no inefficiency in their stroke or energy wasted in their movement and breath. The breath is regulated within the stroke, taking in exactly what’s needed to push them along towards the finish line. There is tremendous effort! And it is held and supported by ease. They have trained so much, their body knows what to do without a thought. They surrender to their training and enter a sense of Flow. 

Guess what? We all have this Olympic Spirit within us! We have all overcome obstacles, tapped into our greatest strength and gifts, and reached levels higher than we thought possible. And when you were performing at your best, I bet you weren’t flailing and grasping either. I bet there was a foundation, or a balance, of ease and surrender. I bet you were operating with sukha and sthira.

So today I invite you to remember a time in your life that this was the case for you…

Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, settle down, and let come to mind the memory of a time you achieved what you set out to do. It might be with a recent home improvement project, or it might be in a sport or on stage in your youth. Perhaps raising a kid, getting a job, or trailblazing the way for others' success is where your achievement lies. Let that memory surface for you. Feel what that memory feels like…

Now infuse your whole being with the feeling:

Inhale: Remember and feel.

Exhale: Move the feeling throughout your body, lighting up every cell. 

Later in your day, call on this feeling. Invoke the sense of achievement, of right effort and ease, of your Olympic Spirit, and be proud of your accomplishments. Let that spill into your everyday experience, and inspire those around you.

May you go for it with your greatest efforts, may you balance your efforts with graceful ease, and may you delight in the successes of you and yours, today and everyday. 

Go Team USA! 🇺🇸

Much love,

Jess

P.S. Here's a little gem I found in some photos my mom sent me. This is me, finding my Olympic Spirit, circa 1988.