Tongue Twisted

So, this is really weird to actually type out, but the hardest thing for me during our yoga practice is keeping my tongue relaxed.  The first time I tried to do it I felt like I was going to choke, which is incredibly ironic since by relaxing my tongues I’m actually relaxing my throat and allowing my air in.  However, last class was the first time I was able to do it without it feeling completely foreign to me.  This was cool for a couple of reasons.  First, while it’s a rather small improvement, it’s still progress.  Second, it means I’m learning to relax and control the different muscles of my body.

I also struggle with biting my lip and tightening my face during the poses.  This is a bad habit I developed in high school through lifting weights for my different sports.  The coaches were always quick to push us as hard as muscles would allow, so to look relaxed was never a good thing.  Even more important is, by realizing I do this during yoga, I was able to noticed that I also do it when I’m thinking, especially when I disagree with what the teacher or student is telling me.  

I think everyone probably has some sort of physical reaction to things they don’t like to hear, but most of the time these reactions don’t do anything but antagonize the person they are talking with.  People are becoming more aware of the importance of nonverbal communication, but I would also add that if one is able to hold back the physical reaction during a dispute, one could more easily control the emotional response as well, enabling them to handle the situation more appropriately.  This is just a theory, and I’m sure it would take much more effort and practice than I am aware of; however, I think it’s a worthy goal to strive for.