Stepping Up to the Edge

on June 20, 2019 by Evolutions
Woman stepping up to the edge

What does your edge look like? Whether it is in the yoga studio or in our daily lives, we all have an edge—a perceived limitation, a barrier that we don’t believe we have the physical or mental strength to fight through. We might think we’ve failed too many times, or that we simply don’t have the capacity to achieve what is in front of us. Even the thought of stepping up to that edge can be intimidating.

In Baron Baptiste’s book “Journey into Power”, he outlines guiding principles for people to work through the intimidation, build mental strength, trust in themselves, and finally step up to that edge.

8 Principles of Stepping to the Edge 

  • We are either now here or nowhere.
  • Be in the now, and you’ll know how.
  • Growth is the most important thing there is.
  • Exceed yourself to find your exceeding self.
  • In order to heal, you need to feel.
  • Think less, be more.
  • We are the sum total of our reactions.
  • Don’t try hard, try easy.

In the studio, your edge might look like resistance to a pose. You’ll look to the side and see a fellow student launch into Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) with ease and grace and automatically think: there is no way I’m able to do that. You stop yourself from even trying, and don’t even allow yourself to explore the possibility of nailing the pose.

This isn’t stepping up to the edge—this is allowing your thoughts of what could happen cloud your mind and hold you back.

But what if you just went for it? What if you just surrendered to the outcome to see what would happen?

If you’ve been practicing yoga for a while, there are probably some poses that you once thought were impossible that you can now transition into with ease. That shift came when you finally stepped up to your edge and went for it. Even if you didn’t nail it on the first try, chances are you did better than you imagined you could—a perfect example of exceeding yourself to find your exceeding self. Despite seeming impossible, you stepped up to your edge, challenged the limitations you’ve put on yourself, and made it happen. That is where growth occurs.  

boy looking over the edge

The Real Edge 

Of course, the edge doesn’t only apply to the four walls of the studio–there are perceived limits that can continue to take hold of our routines and everyday lives. You might think you have no chance of getting a promotion at work. You might tell yourself you don’t have the time or talent to pursue a creative hobby. You might say it’s not possible to move to the city you’ve always dreamed of living in.

Take a step back and look at these thoughts. Are you telling yourself the real truth, or have you crafted these limitations in your mind?

In order to build our mental strength and achieve our goals, we have to take a hard look at the stories that are looping through our minds. We may have painted a picture of our physical strength, our intellect, or our talents that is only doing a disservice to how we show up in our lives. How can you lean into your edges and re-frame your stories in order to find your ‘exceeding’ yourself?