Ski racers will visualize their course before the race, going over and through every turn in their mind. They will go over how their body will respond to the sudden drop in elevation, how they will hug in around the gates.
Life is really no different. It’s important to visualize the outcome we want. Doing this can help you both in work and in your yoga practice.
Visualize the success you want, and you’ll get there eventually.
Think of a difficult task or something you need to do today at work. Visualize yourself going through the steps to complete it. Then, visualize the finished task or project.
At the end of the day, reflect on how the actual process mirrored your visualization, and whether or not you had the outcome you wanted.
Getting into a yoga pose with the help of visualization
The same idea goes for when you’re struggling with getting into a yoga pose. Stop and imagine yourself effortlessly in the pose. Do this even if your knees are bent, your back is hunched, and you are nothing close to resembling that Bird of Paradise.
Imagine yourself standing effortlessly in the pose, with your shoulders broad and square and your leg extended upwards. Now, imagine you’re already in it.
You may begin to feel your muscles relax a bit and your breath deepen to get you into the physical pose. You will likely find yourself at least a little closer to the pose you visualized.
Strike a balance between your creative mind and your logical mind.
One important thing to remember is to not focus too much on the process of getting there. If you focus too much on the minute details, or on being too precise, you’ll likely find yourself bogged down and overwhelmed.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think at all about what your body is doing. Unless you’re very advanced and have attempted a pose hundreds of times, you’ll likely have to reflect on the instruction you’ve had for getting into a pose.
Keep your imaginative mind set on a visual of the final pose, and let your logical mind check off the boxes: “spread your palms evenly,” “puff up your upper back,” “lean your thigh onto your upper arms.” A few more steps, and Voila, you’re in a Bakasana variation.
Whatever the mind can conceive and believe; it can achieve.
To make visualization work for you, remember to always keep in mind what you want the final project or pose to look like. We all have the power to get ourselves to where we set our intention to go – we just have to set it somewhere.
by Katie Beeler – Katie is a yogi, freelance writer, and attorney who likes sharing her thoughts and ramblings on yoga, health, and wellness.
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