When should you challenge yourself to try a more difficult yoga pose, set a stretch goal, or sign up for a new yoga challenge? That’s what I’m getting into in this post, so read on….

I’ve said it a million times in my yoga classes.

“If at any time in class where you feel like you need a break, you come into Child’s Pose (or another pose that feels restorative to you) and join us again when you feel ready.”

And I mean it. 

Most of us need more practice giving ourselves permission to slow down, rest, and have self-compassion. 

That’s one of yoga’s best gifts.

Rest is underrated. But so is challenging yourself in yoga.

But there are also times when we must stay with a yoga pose that feels challenging and uncomfortable—so we can relax into it or build strength. Through yoga, we experience first-hand how very resilient we really are.

Yoga challenges help us see that if we consistently show up and do the hard thing, we get stronger and it becomes easier over time.

Remember how it felt the first time you made it through a class without feeling really confused that you were doing things “right”?

Or how about that first time you finally felt your feet lift off the floor in Bakasana (Crow Pose) or you were able to kick into a Handstand for the first time? 

Challenge Yourself in Yoga and Life

If you can conquer a Handstand, it feels like you can take on the world! You might think, if can do THIS… what else might I be capable of?  

• You buy new running shoes and sign up for that 5k…

• Ask for that promotion…

• Move to the place you’ve always dreamed of living.

But how are you supposed to know whether you should curl up into a ball or take on the world?

When to do the hard thing? Check in to these 4 things.

Pay attention to your breath.

If your breath is still smooth and deep, it’s a good indication that you can push yourself without causing harm.

Hold the pose or explore taking a slightly deeper or more challenging yoga pose variation. 

If your breath becomes choppy or labored, back off until you can breathe easily again. Sometimes all you need to do is back out of the posture.

While other times you might have to bow out completely and take a Child’s Pose or Savasana.  

Consider Your Outside Circumstances.

As a yoga student, you probably know that there is a strong connection between your body and your mind. That means if you’ve had a particularly stressful day, your body will probably be tense.

If you’re having problems at work or with a relationship, it’s almost always a good idea to cut yourself some slack and be kind. 

My advice? During difficult times, move your body! Use your muscles! Go to your favorite yoga class or lace up your running shoes and go for a run outside.  Do all the things that help you to manage your stress. 

But when you start to feel the fatigue set in, this isn’t the time to keep pushing yourself.

Allow yourself to rest. Collapse in Savasana. Give yourself extra love. You can push yourself harder again when things are more settled.

Look to your teacher or a coach for guidance.

Sometimes a teacher or coach can see things in us that we can’t see in ourselves. 

This is why it’s so helpful to have a relationship with a teacher. We know what you’re capable of on a good day. We know your tendency to try too hard… or give up too soon.

We can see the look on your face. Is it tension? Confusion? Pain? Is there a problem with alignment that can be easily remedied?

Important Note: This doesn’t mean that you give your power to your teacher. If your intuition is telling you something that contradicts your teacher–trust your gut.

Tap into your intuition.

Sometimes you just know what to do. You can feel it in your gut. Yoga teaches us to notice that gut feeling and act on it. Even if you can’t quite explain why you feel this way… your body’s wisdom is rarely wrong. And it should override all the other advice.