A Real Life Warrior.

I've been sharing on my Instagram lately my love for Yoga. This particular pose is Virabhadrasana III or Warrior 3 pose. This pose takes strength, balance, flexibility, and control many attributes it takes to not only be a woman but a black woman. Yoga is a combination of mental and physical discipline. Which is so necessary when navigating being a woman while black.

In the caption of this photo I allude to how being a black woman qualifies you as a warrior in your own right. My father told my sister and I when we were young playing lacrosse in a majority white sport, "that we have to be 10 times better than everyone out there." He wasn't just talking about sports, he was preparing us for what life would be like for us as black women.  When I  walk into a room many people automatically think they can place me into whatever box of stereotypes they assume I'm like. Sometimes it feels that we are constantly scrutinized for our personalities, abilities, and appearance while in the same moment forgotten about. If we don't look out for and build each other up who will? It's as if the world thinks that it can move along without us when we are in fact the ones who helped to mold and build it. It takes strength, balance, flexibility, and control to be constantly ridiculed and rarely recognized. Which makes the black woman a real life warrior.

Virabhadrasana III is said to expand the chest and lungs which improves circulation and respiration. Much of yoga is focused on your breath and synchronizing it with your movements. I'm learning to use this in my everyday life. Synchronizing my breathing with my movements. Taking the time to breathe before making rash decisions, getting upset, or jumping to conclusions. What upset me or got under my skin when I was a teenager is minuscule to me in my 20s. I'm sure as I grow and age my perspective on what's important to me and worth my energy will change as well. One thing I'm working through is stopping my negative thoughts. I battle and go to war with my thoughts often. I'm by far my biggest critic and my mind is always racing and analyzing. While in my resting phase I find myself overthinking, planning, contemplating. Mindfulness is my next task to conquer.

In my yoga practice I'm finding an inner peace and strength. Each day that I choose to practice yoga I'm choosing me. I'm putting myself first even if its just an hour. I'm choosing to help my body, my mental health, my wellness. What do you do to put yourself first?  How do you take off that warrior armor to help yourself and push yourself forward to being a better you?