As I mentioned in my last blog post, I was a sickly child and wasn’t allowed to participate in PE or other physical activities in primary school. When I moved to secondary school, I was officially healthy and joined PE like the other kids. But understandably, I lacked physical confidence.
PE lessons were painful. I imagine many people can relate to this. There wasn’t anything I wasn’t allowed to do, and there wasn’t anything I physically couldn’t do—but I just wasn’t good at any of it. I was slow at sprints, dreaded long-distance running, and was never picked for team sports. In short, I didn’t have a competitive bone in my body when it came to sports.
And I hated school swimming. (Most schools in Japan have 25m outdoor swimming pools and PE during summer is all about swimming.) I couldn’t swim. I hated getting changed in those damp, smelly changing rooms. I didn’t like wearing a swimming cap. And I loathed having wet hair. I wrote so many fake sick notes to skip swimming class!
It’s hardly surprising when you think about it. Not only had I been ill and banned from physical activity for over a year, but I’d also been actively discouraged from doing sports.
The only physical activity I enjoyed was dancing. In school, we had creative dance modules, and I was actually good at them.
And then one day, I discovered disco......(But this is another story…which I may never tell😂)
After moving to London in my early 20s, I took up adult ballet classes. At one point, I was doing 3-4 classes a week. I developed a love for physical movement, which eventually led me to my first yoga class.
Too often, physical fitness is tied to competitiveness. I suppose competition is one motivation to keep training. Even dance and ballet have competitions!
30+ years later…. I’m now physically fit and healthy, but I still don’t have that competitive edge when it comes to physical activities. And that’s why yoga is the perfect practice for me. In yoga, the only person you’re competing with is yourself. There’s no pressure to be the best or to outperform anyone else. Instead, it’s about tuning into your own body and mind, challenging yourself in a mindful way. That can be a great motivator to get on the mat—who doesn’t love the satisfaction of finally nailing a challenging arm balance or inversion?
However, there’s a fine line between healthy self-motivation and pushing yourself too hard. Yoga teaches us to listen to our bodies, but it’s easy to get caught up in the drive to achieve more—whether it’s getting deeper into a pose or holding it longer. Just like in competitive sports, this can lead to injury, burnout, or exhaustion if we’re not careful.
For me, one of the most significant benefits of yoga has been the physical confidence I’ve gained. I’m no longer that child who felt left out or incapable during sports. I’m strong, I’m flexible, and I’m at peace with what my body can do. This sense of empowerment goes beyond the mat—it filters into my everyday life. I’m well and strong now, and I know I’ll stay this way for a long time, as long as I keep up my practice.
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