There is a very common quote that circulates around yoga studios, gyms and health groups all over the world, it comes in various wordings but the message at a glance is that “​All you have to do is show up​”, which unfortunately is just not the case. If this were the case then stressed out, out of shape, unhealthy people would be the minority not the majority in our culture and communities today.

Of course Showing up is important but it’s what you do when you get there that determines what you get out of it. When you decide to show up to something like a yoga class, you should take a second and think about why you are there. Is it a workout your looking for to move and stretch or something along those lines, are you there to destress because you’ve had a crazy day or maybe you just love the community, it could be any of these, all of these or something completely different and there is no wrong answer. But knowing or at least exploring why you are doing something like this is important because its only in knowing what we are searching for, that we can find it.

Once you’ve taken a moment to try and understand what it is you’re after, the next huge step is you have to ​work for it​. Work ​smart and​ ​hard​, this doesn’t mean you have to do every vinyasa, hold a handstand, or do a full hanumanasana but it does mean you need to ​find your focus and​ ​embody it​, in as much of your practice as you can. This could mean honing your breath, trying to relax the muscles you don’t need to be using in each individual moment, or maybe it’s not comparing yourself to others in the room. Knowing your focus or intention is important but then you have to take action.

There is an unlimited number of reasons you could have to show up and just as many ways you could embody it, the point is how mindful can you be if your mind is turned off. Growth, whether physical, mental or spiritual, require presents, patience and focused action. If you simply show up to your job but don’t work, you’re more than likely going to get fired. If you show up and simply do what your boss tells you, then likely you’ll be stuck in the same position for years without advancement. To get ahead, we need to show up, follow instruction but also build and create using our own initiatives and reaching for our own goals.

Using the power of intention, awareness and action helps people see results, feel better and enjoy more. We as people hunger for purpose not aimlessness, but the only person that can give it to you is yourself. I wish for people to build there practice and get the most out of it and the only way to do that is to have focus and work hard.

Jesse Godin

We do not find meaning, we create it!