Your Yoga Teacher Says: “Let’s finish up the left side, and then we will cool things down.”
Don’t you hate it when I/they say that!?? Like you know you’re RIGHT THERE in class, but you still have to try a little more. You know you have to push yourself and exert that last amount of effort. You might not want to, but it’s just one more side….
Let’s shift gears real quick: Time Magazine’s Person of the Year - Taylor Swift….duh
This year alone she’s re-recorded her fourth album, was named most-streamed artist of 2023, made the highest-grossing concert film of all time, grossed $906 million in her tour (second-highest in history,) her concerts boosted the economy in the majority of the cities she toured, and oh yeah she started dating Travis Kelce (Go Chiefs!) and boosted NFL ratings and gear sales (don’t come for me, we both know she did. I KNOW Kelce was popular before, but like COME ON, he had a 400% increase in jersey sales.) Swift is the first entertainer to win the title of “Person of the Year.”
Not going to lie, it feels like she still might have an entire Left Side she’s waiting to throw at us…
Let’s take it back even further.
The very first Time Magazine “Man of the Year” was Charles Lindbergh, he was an American Aviator who became famous for making the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. I mean, that’s a BFD. (If you’ve forgotten what a BFD is, you can read more about it here.)
The first woman who was Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” was Wallis Simpson in 1936. Her and her husband, King Edward VIII, shared the title because King Edward VIII abdicated from the British Throne in order to marry Wallis. She was a “divorcee” so it was a whole thing, but still BFD.
Greta Thunberg, named youngest “Person of the Year” in 2019, is a Swedish environment activist known for her efforts to raise awareness about climate change. BFD.
To be clear there were some not well-received selections for “Person of the Year,” like in 2006 - the picture included or the fact that “The Computer” was chosen in 1982, but let’s keep going..
So [client_first_name], are you ready to do the left side and then cool things down?
First, each of these people aren’t just taking the easy road. They are in the transition of right to left side, knowing they still have effort ahead of them. This is all Tapas (or heat) endurance, perseverance, commitment to growth, self-discipline, and the burning desire to continue though it’s hard.
Tapas involves enduring discomfort and challenges in the pursuit of a higher goal, just like those recognized above. It’s not just engaging with your yoga mat but with the world around you.
Will doing the left side of Lauren’s last flow in her yoga class make you Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, umm…f*ck yes it will. Okay Okay, in our book YES, but also I’m not on the selection committee for that so I can't actually give you a verbal confirmation agreement.
We both know you went through some sh*t this year, and creating that fire, that tapas inside of you is hard, but it’s what keeps you going. This time of year is busy and it’s easy to let the fire go out because there are “better” things you could be doing, or you are just “busy.” Don’t stop, just do the left side, and remind yourself what a BFD you really are!