Self discipline is freedom for inner growth and new habits to arrive. I share how choosing to treat me differently, has through many years of training my thoughts to fully comprehend, that self discipline, is freedom.
Self discipline is freedom through our choices
Our life is full of choices. Having the discipline to choose differently and more positively, negates our paths journey.
As a yoga teacher, having the discipline to practice most days alone, is vital for my freedom of inner growth.
I can balance on my hands and scissor kick my legs and wrap my arms around my thigh, and put my chin on my shin and bend like a pretzel. I can do all this fancy stuff.
But what is that genuinely for? My discipline and freedom?Or the total opposite?
Observe your ego
Is it more for the show, the social media audience, the wow brigade? It does no better benefit to my body, than present what my body is naturally good, at giving me.
Sitting still in silence, where my biggest battles have internally raged, and in which my greatest growth has rose, has enabled me to work out my worries and crease them out differently, by changing the choices I will continually choose, until the lesson is no longer needed.
Self discipline is freedom as a teacher tame your ego
You ever been in a yoga studio with the 360 mirror and everything and everyone is on show?
The pretty pouts and vanity of the ego, is exaggerated?
This is not what yoga is to me now, it was at the beginning until I learned self discipline is freedom.
As a teacher my best lessons have been to hold back, to not show what I can do, but merely align with my clients energy. To understand where they are physically, emotionally, mentally on their journey and not ‘show off’, unless I can see the capability in their body and that seed, is needed watered.
That takes a lot of self discipline to reign in our ego for freedom to flourish.
My client is always my best teacher, to guide me towards what I need to understand, in order to support them, as best I can.
In continuously using this information to feedback what I notice.
How the body curls, breaths, moves, helps me be more guided as a nourishing teacher, to support self discipline is freedom in another.
How can I teach yoga, if I do not practice it myself?
How can we preach what we do not practice?
Having the freedom to choose to discipline my body and mind differently these days, has taken many years of failing.
Jocko Willink self discipline quote
“If you want to transform your life in a positive way, that transformation will not happen by itself. You need to make it happen. You need to do the work. You need to put in the hours, the days, the weeks, the months, and the years. You need to get on the path and stay on the path—the path that leads to the positive transformations, the path that leads to a better you, the path that leads to freedom. And that path is the hard path. The tough path. The relentless path. It is the path of Discipline. And the path of Discipline is the only way. Discipline Equals Freedom.” — Jocko Willink
https://stridelearning.org/parent-resources/discipline-freedom/
Finding is choosing differently
We only learn by the mistakes we make.
I spent many years of rejoining the social circus, before realising the circus was still in me.
To really understand and acknowledge that, What I seek, I am. I only accept, when i allow it in.
The internal information of knowing we only become stronger by practicing.
How do you get a tight booty if you always sit on it?
I don’t get fitter by talking about it!
We can become all these things, because we have discipline to practice it.
By having discipline to make time for us most days, to physically work the body.
Whether that’s a simple meditation of connecting with our breathe, or a hard ass vinyasa workout, which, i’m going to be real with you, as a single mum, I really don’t feel I need as much of, the older I get.
Being in silence, with only my breathe most mornings, is so inviting for what I need now.
Breathe properly, your abs will be working. Inhale deeper and your mind can feel freer. Become mindfully aware every day and in time, your freedom within your discipline, can ignite.
Exercise is supposed to be enjoyable
Why else teach and practice it?
I love what I do.
It is from our love in and from life, we grow and change into an even better version of ourselves.
There is always room for improvement.
Challenging me, changes me
Changing any habit requires a level of inner openness and courage to challenge our thoughts.
Looking at yourself is way harder than looking out. Its bravery and awareness for future growth and changes to arise.
I love having self discipline is freedom mindset now, to maintain a morning routine.
By getting up an hour earlier, I go to bed earlier and tend to eat more healthy nutritious food.
To choose to be around the most awesome people, that I love dearly, because of how it makes me feel.
I like to eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals full of life, because of how I feel from them.
Being slim, physically strong, having healthy skin, hair, nails, are all bi-products of eating raw food and exercising most days.
It’s not a diet or exercise regime, it’s a lifestyle choice.
I’ve been the person getting wasted every weekend, eating kebabs, nursing a hangover with a spliff and a bottle of cola and not having any exercise discipline and I remind myself, how rotten I felt for days after.
There was no freedom in this feeling.
More inner torment, more vicious internal dialogue, more ‘your not enough’ before I quietened it over another reckless weekend. The come downs were terrible, the older I got.
And that’s all we become….older.
We only get one body.
Self love is freedom in discipline
I’m so grateful my body could withstand the abuse I fed it for years. However it remains to be seen the true consequences of my choices, as I mature.
Our body is not a machine. It needs self love.
When we’re partying every weekend and caning it, there’s your discipline.
Ask yourself is there freedom from it?
What are you learning from it?
Is it sustainable for your health long term?
I learned so much from my party days. Would not change any of it, had the most amazing nights and often weekends, drowned out at after parties.
I learned so much, of everything I did not want to become.
It enabled me to find my self discipline is freedom
Please don’t misunderstand this, I still love the odd party, but its a choice now, not a necessity.
My choices direct self discipline
By really acknowledging that I choose to eat this, not exercise, drink excessively, take drugs and now I feel awful.
Whose choice was that?
By holding our self accountable to our actions, I learned that only I could change them.
Exercise, sleep, reading, drinking more water, fresh fruit and vegetables every day. Making homemade smoothies, eating wholesome, nutritious, delicious food, help me feel better about myself.
Why wouldn’t I want to feed that into my internal dialogue? Especially now i’m a mum.
I get it, we don’t all have this innate desire, to want to get up and have that exercise and self love discipline drive.
I’ve been there, many times.
I didn’t re-find mine again, till I became a mum, because,
it hadn’t become limiting, in my life lessons yet.
But these days…..
My discipline to choose differently, is my freedom.
Self discipline is freedom.
I can relate to so much you say, a similar journey to mine, but I’m not quite far down the path as you yet, but I’m definitely on it. ?❤️
That’s so wonderful to hear. Keep going, its amazing what time can change. Small steps in time create changes. Lot of love ❤️