Sh*t my yoga teacher says, “It’s just Eagle Pose, you’re not doing this at an H-E-B anytime soon, so don’t make it so serious.”
Is it a dumb idea to not take yoga seriously? Or, is it dumb to take it seriously?
So, glad you asked NAME - I guess what I’m saying is don’t take YOURSELF too seriously. Because no, you will never have a reason to put your body into Eagle Pose at H-E-B.
In a random turn of events this week, I kept hearing over and over the phrase “that’s a dumb idea.” Thankfully it wasn’t directed at me… I heard it in passing, in a podcast, and I had a friend say it to me about herself.
The podcast I listen to every morning is about daily business news stories. They talked about how the company Liquid Death is crushing it and they have a new marketing idea, and the CEO basically started the brand because he thought it was a dumb idea….the company is now worth $700 million. Their next dumb idea… actioning off the side of their boxes for advertising. Coinbased purchased it for $500k…. Dumb idea?
Now, let me ask you…did you think it was a dumb or great idea when you were about halfway through your first yoga class? Okay maybe not, but maybe at some point you felt like an idiot in the middle of class doing some pose that made absolutely no sense, and the yoga teacher is just talking and talking and kept saying “Breath in and out” like the body doesn’t just automatically do it all the time. Trust me, I get it.
Yoga teaches us the importance of embracing vulnerability and imperfection. One of the great things I love about yoga is the humble beginning. The silliness of the wobbling leg in any balancing pose, like Eagle. The absolute insanity it is to try to do the splits in mid-air, but also loving it because in my head I’m doing the splits but my body is like, “Nice try girlfriend…just keep looking down and you’ll never know.” Then me wondering, “How and when will I ever do this in real life.”
What’s interesting is when I start to feel like I look dumb in a pose or I get irritated that it was a “dumb idea” there’s always an opportunity for a spark of unexpected breakthrough to occur…you just have to take it. You fall out of Eagle and realize the “dumb pose” you were in - you actually needed to press into your foot more. Or, more often than not, we are just trying waaaayyy toooooo hard - Who are we even trying to impress?
Before this lil’ blog ends, here’s a list of a few businesses that started off as “dumb ideas”...
- The Pet Rock
- Snuggie
- The Kardashians
- Post-It Notes
- Youtube
Now, a few of us might still think a few, if not one of these, is still a dumb idea (I’m not naming names.)
What if this week you challenge yourself to lean into the dumb idea, to create space for that potential moment of breakthrough into success? What if your dumb idea is actually is the perfect opportunity for mindful reflection?
By challenging our preconceived notions of success and remaining open, we may just find some mindful insights and successes in our everyday lives. By leaning into the dumb yoga class, the dumb pose, or at least considering the dumb idea we may find a moment of brilliance or at least a moment of levity and fun.
In the end, it's all about remaining open to the possibilities and finding mindful insights in the everyday journey of life. So, here's to embracing the dumb, the silly, and the seemingly insignificant — for they may just lead us to our greatest moments of courage, curiosity, and strength.