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Be the Change
By Newsha Mostafavi
“I have come to a point in my life where there is nothing more important to me than my own growth. I have three boys whom I love dearly. They are my greatest joy. Yet my own growth is still more important to me. How can I say that? Because if I don’t grow; they suffer. If I don’t grow; the people I work with suffer. In a sense, if I don’t grow, the world suffers...We have two choices: We grow or we die. It’s that simple.
Growth is forward movement; anything else is stagnation, or worse, regression."
-Baron Baptiste, Journey into Power
This quote by renowned yoga instructor Baron Baptiste is one of my favorites. The first time I ever heard it, I was in child's pose. Our intructor started class by reading it to us and it has stayed with me ever since. At first, I couldn't understand how anyone could be so selfish to think that their own growth is more important than their own children or anything else. But the more I thought about it, the more clear his message became. Nourishing our own growth is not selfish; it is necessary to live a productive, fulfilling, and joyful life. Just think about the most miserable person you know. Chances are, that person is neglecting his own health, working at the same job he hates, engaging in the same activities that don't give him joy, and going to the same places he has for years out of habit. Life has become a routine, a chore to get through. Of course, there can be comfort in sameness but without branching out and allowing ourselves to stretch our comfort zone, we'll never explore our fullest potential or find new places, activities, and experiences that we love.
No one just decides to stop growing. It just happens while we're busy with our daily life, putting our loved ones, our jobs, our other responsibilities ahead of ourselves. I was once this way, constantly finding reasons not to take care of my mind, body, and spirit. I had to work, I had school, and I had my social life to worry about. After going full steam ahead for years without taking a break, I hit the proverbial wall. I was not living a productive, fulfilling or joyful life and I was done. I refused to wait for the new year to make the change; I started right away. I started going to yoga and committed to going twice a week to start. Once going twice a week became a habit, I added another day. A few weeks later, I added another day. Pretty soon, I was going to class five days a week and somehow, after years of complaining that I never had enough time, I suddenly had more time than I knew what to do with! I had so much energy and was so focused after practicing yoga that I could get a lot more work done.
As a result, I rarely go a day without practicing yoga. Even if I'm feeling overwhelmed or guilty at the thought of taking time away from working or studying to practice, I tell myself that the world will not spin off its axis if I take time for me. And usually, that puts things into perspective.
Newsha Mostafavi is a Yoga Alliance-certified instructor who specializes in power yoga, hot yoga, yoga with weights as well as restorative yoga and meditation. For more information, visit www.flowyogaoc.com.
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