One of the best things my yoga practice taught me was that there is a difference between challenge and struggle.

We will always face challenges. And while they are uncomfortable, they help us grow.

(This asana, Astavakrasana, for example, was one of the first arm balances I was ever able to do and shocked me because I truly believed the story that I couldn’t do arm balances. Then, after that first time, I went through a period where I couldn’t do it again. I had to learn to work for it and build better strength and technique so I could do it consistently)

Struggle, however, is meaning we give to things. Struggle is an approach, a mindset.

This is not to bypass that sometimes things are really f*cking hard.

But I’ve noticed that when I’m struggling, there’s usually chaos inside me. I’m often feeling conflicted and pulled in too many directions.

One of the best things to do in those moments is zoom out a little and put the chaos in context so it doesn’t feel so all-encompassing.

Ground yourself with something neutral that is outside your sense of struggle. Maybe it’s something in your environment, maybe it’s your breath. Practice pausing and questioning your thoughts- are they coming from love or from fear? If fear- are they true (they are always valid, but are they the absolute 100% truth... or are there other, equally valid perspectives and reframes)?

Give yourself a little space around the story. If you aren’t the story, there’s always the possibility that you can write a new one.

You are powerful enough to face challenges. Don’t let the inner chaos of struggle rob you of that. Sometimes it’s not about ‘finding peace and having an easy life’, sometimes it’s about becoming peace and flowing with life.