The word “resistance” reminds me of spin class. It starts out fun and invigorating, the good classes with a charismatic teacher and an incredible playlist. But it’s easy to lose track of how much resistance we’ve added. After a while, my legs start to fatigue, but our leader does not. “Add a ‘pinch,’” she says, as we move into another high energy song. Is she crazy? Can I really do that? My legs feel like they’re wading through the thickest mud puddle and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. I’m eventually grateful, but not in the moment, not until I carefully peel myself off the saddle and onto the ground, taking cautious steps to test out my jelly legs. The dismount may be messy, but my head is clear, my body is delightfully fatigued, and I know I’ll sleep so well that night. Success. But what else do I resist in my life that is ultimately a good thing? Why do we procrastinate, dragging our feet to do something we end up loving in the end?
Anything good in life is worth doing well. When you fire up your strength and grit. When you don’t allow others to impede your progress. When you show up. When you have to add more resistance and still keep going.
When you use resistance as a tool. As in any movement discipline, and in life, there will be moments put in front of you that require more than what you’re doing to get ahead of it. An unpleasant coworker. Five more seconds in Chair Pose. Adding a “pinch” in spin class. What can we take away from these moments that require more from us? What are we ultimately learning when we push through the resistance instead of cowering to its power over us?
I learn that “difficult” people are a reflection of what I do not value, but also a reminder that I am capable of being “difficult.” I notice that and have empathy for that part of me, and the other person. I know that I will not always be in chair pose and I think of something else, my strength, my reason for being there, to get through. I discover that the burn in my legs will not kill me, but will improve my endurance and mobility. Maybe I’ll never really look forward to adding a “pinch” in spin class, but I know it’ll make me stronger. If I didn’t see these challenges to the end, perhaps I wouldn’t have learned that hard moments don’t break me, they make me. And the next time, they’ll be easier to get through because I’ve practiced beating them.
I often think about what makes some people successful and others stuck. Besides luck, I think it has a lot to do with determination: knowing when to push through resistance and not giving up when the resistance gets too hard. Success can be measured in a myriad of ways, but in simple terms, you get farther when you meet resistance with strength. When you take risks and never give up. And even if you fall out of chair pose, out of your saddle, at least you had the courage to be there in the first place. To resist the resistance. To not let it beat you or wear you down. On the other side of tough times, that’s where the good stuff lives.
Author: Sarah Ronau