a RUT is defined as:
- A sunken track or groove made by the passage of vehicles.
- An uninspired routine or pattern of behavior that one continues unthinkingly or because change is difficult.
Often it seems I'm back in the exact same physical spot on my yoga mat, again and again. The mat is extra worn there where I place my hands and feet in downward facing dog. Each time I notice I'm back there I move myself out of this wear pattern to a fresh spot on the mat. But then a few poses later I look, and I'm right damn back in the same spot. 😑
It's true that there is comfort, safety and some benefits to observing ritual, routine and fitting into a well-worn groove, but it can become a limitation if you are not mindfully choosing the patterns you are inhabiting. Without mindfulness our patterns and habits develop into deep ruts where we can't even see that we are stuck.
Most of my personal yoga ruts are fear-based… I'm afraid to do a backwards roll to plank pose. I have been afraid to try a drop back by myself from standing into a back bend. I'm afraid to practice handstand away from the wall. So I keep doing it at the wall over and over again never getting much better or learning how to fall - because I've been blindly stuck in this rut.
Hey, Step 1 is awareness. Just noticing that I drift back into the wear pattern on my mat, I think, is HUGE. I will keep noticing and keep moving out of it. Step 2 is to begin making decisions with my new awareness. (I'm making these steps up as I go, but this feels right! 😂) I have started choosing to do the things that I have been avoiding out of fear. Like trying backwards rolling into plank pose. Okay, so I don't land in plank...mine looks more like a kid's summersault right now. point is 👉🏽👉🏽 I'm scared that I might injure my neck, but doing it anyways. The real risk is low. My fear isn't all that rational. I'm moving past this little rut, and then onwards...