The Art of Adaptation
Embracing change as a catalyst for growth
Hey It’s Jenny, your home yoga hype girl!
Welcome to my weekly newsletter where I share personal insights & the best online yoga resources, handpicked just for you.
We’ve arrived at week four in our series of change-themed issues.
Weeks one through three dealt with transition, balance and flexibility. We explored these concepts through the lens of passive change, or changes that occur without any effort or planning. They just happen.
This week, we’re tackling active, or intentional change. More specifically, learning to adapt and use change as a catalyst for personal growth.
Let’s get into it!
Most of the change we experience in life is spontaneous. It’s unpredictable, unexpected and driven by external forces beyond our control.
Fortunately, there are skills we can learn that make us more resilient, and adaptability is one of them. It’s basically a superpower when it comes to navigating change.
Adaptability is often defined as the ability to adapt to change. But, it can also be thought of as the willingness to embrace new circumstances.
When we are willing to adapt, we can engage with change proactively. Because, while many changes are unexpected, there are plenty we can predict.
With a little foresight, we can anticipate the changes on our horizon and take steps to prepare for their arrival. By doing this, we allow change to work for us, rather than against us.
Embracing Personal & Maternal Growth
Every parent understands that their children won’t remain small forever. There is absolutely nothing anyone can do to stall the process. It’s predictable, yet it happens so fast, it’s easy to be caught off guard.
I always assumed that the hardest part of my parenting journey would come when my son moved out of the house. I was not prepared for the profound emptiness I felt when my son got his driver’s license. Somehow, I failed to realize that this step would also be life altering.
I went through something similar when my son entered kindergarten. Up until that point, he had been with me at home, all day every day. I was a stay-at-home mom and he never went to daycare or preschool. His first day of school was also his first significant separation from me. It was eye opening. I realized that being his mom had become my entire identity.
So, I decided to enroll in college classes while he was at school. This experience helped me envision my future and accept that there would be a day when my son would no longer be nestled under the shelter of my protective wing.
My initial goal, when returning to college, was to obtain a degree in dietetics. I planned to become a registered dietitian, something I had wanted to do since before my son was born.
Over time, I began to suspect that dietetics wasn’t right for me and shifted my focus to becoming a yoga teacher. I loved my yoga teacher training. When all was said and done, I was certified as a 500-hour yoga teacher, Level 1 Kundalini instructor and a trauma-informed children’s yoga teacher.
Certifications in hand, I opened a tiny yoga studio in my home town. For a while, I taught numerous private classes to individuals and groups. However, I soon realized that managing a brick-and-mortar business wasn't my forte. I stepped back from that and continued practicing yoga, studying and teaching sporadically.
My son will be a junior in high school next year. He is wildly independent and sprinting towards adulthood with alarming speed. Now that he has his driver's license, our lives have become much less intertwined.
Soon he’ll be starting a summer job and the time he spends at home will whittle down to sleeping, and eating if i’m lucky. It’s happening sooner that I anticipated, but the next phase of my life has arrived. It’s time to put all that planning and preparation into action.
It took a long time, and many detours, but I think i’m ready to go out into the world and participate in life as a newly emancipated parent.
As luck would have it, my friend just opened a beautiful tea shop with an immaculate yoga room and invited me to come teach there regularly.
As Rich Roll likes to say “The universe is always conspiring in your favor” and I choose to believe that.
As tempted as I was to bury my head in the sand and pretend like it wasn’t happening, I’m glad I faced the inevitable flight of my little fledgling and prepared myself to follow him out of the nest. I could have easily let change overtake me and clipped my own wings before I ever had the chance to fly.
That’s the reality - often, our lives will often show us where change is necessary long before it forces our hand. Then the ball is in our court. We can let it roll right by our feet, or we can pick it up and run with it.
If adaptability is a superpower, then your yoga practice is the superhero. Here it comes to save the day!
When dealing with the uncertainty of life, let your practice be your anchor. It steadies and stabilizes, even as the winds of chaos howl around you.
Though it’s often avoided and overlooked, meditation is essential for developing adaptability and resilience. Use it to find you're center and gain clarity around where you can best direct your energy and attention.
The featured practices below offer three different types of meditation. Explore them to see if any might be a good fit for your personal practice.
15 Minute Relaxing Yoga | Restorative Yoga For Reflection | Allie Van Fossen
I haven’t done a lot of restorative yoga. I tend to shy away from holding poses. I favor a more fluid, somatic practice. But I really liked this class!! In fact, I practiced it multiple times this week.
Ally is a confident, knowledgable guide and creates a meditative experience with her thought provoking cues. She gives us plenty of time to really settle awareness, creating space to explore and reflect with each pose.
This is a short, gentle practice. It’s perfect to do any time of day. It’s the perfect opportunity to check in and reflect on whatever needs your attention.
10 Mins Open Awareness Guided Meditation | Day 10 - Meditation Challenge | Bharti Yoga
9 Minutes | All Levels | Beginner Friendly
Open awareness is one of my all time favorite ways to meditate and this guided class from Bharti Yoga is an excellent introduction to the practice.
Open awareness fits nicely into everything we’ve been talking about this week because it invites us to sit with what is. To be present with thoughts, feelings, sounds, and anything else that comes to our attention. It’s a good way to get in touch with what is really happening in and around us.
Awaken a Renewal of Energy with this 15 Minute Guided Meditation | Mindful Movement
15 minutes | All Levels | Beginners Friendly
This week, our Spring themed class comes to us from “The Mindful Movement”. I’ve been a fan of this YouTube channel for years and this offering lives up to the standards I’ve come to expect from them.
This little gem is an uplifting way to tune in and cultivate hope, wellbeing and an abundant spirit.
Okay, dear readers…I need your input!
Next Sunday is the last Sunday in April and I feel like there is so much more to discuss on the topic of change. It’s such a rich, valuable subject. I have been going back and forth about the possibility of extending the theme into May.
So, what do you think? Are you ready to move on with your life, or are you down for a few more change themed issues?
Whatever happens, I will be back next Sunday with another change themed issue. I’ll be consulting the results of the poll to decide whether or not it is our last. So please make sure to vote!
As always, I look forward to hearing your feedback. I’d love to hear how this issue landed for you and if you tried any of the practices I shared.
Have a great week!! See you next Sunday.
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