INTERDIMENSIONAL WELLNESS: THE BODY

The Power of Backing Off

Happy Wellness Wednesday, Wellness Warriors!

Last year, I went on my very first yoga retreat, and I came home with a lesson I had to learn the hard way.

It was such an honor to be invited, and I was excited to be surrounded by people who were strong, disciplined, flexible, graceful, and deeply committed to their practice. But I was also intimidated. I did not know many people, and somewhere along the way, instead of simply allowing myself to be present, I started trying to prove myself.

I did not realize it at the time, but my ego had quietly taken over my practice.

At this retreat, we practice a lot of yoga. Eight yoga classes in five days. That is a lot for any body, and last year, I did not treat it with the respect it deserved. Instead of listening to my body, I pushed. And then I pushed harder. And then I pushed even harder. I gave in to my ego, and I really tried to prove myself to all the incredible people around me.

I wanted to get my money’s worth. I wanted to get my time’s worth. I wanted to show up fully. But underneath all of that, I think I was also performing a little bit. I wanted to prove that I belonged in the room. And the funny thing is, that is really the opposite of what yoga is supposed to be. Yoga is not supposed to be about performing. It is not supposed to be about proving. It is supposed to be about presence, breath, awareness, and union with the body.

But, because of my gymnastics background, that is where I struggle. And last year, even though I knew better, I did not listen.

WHEN THE EGO GETS LOUDER THAN THE BODY

My body was talking to me during that retreat. It was giving me signals. It was asking me to back off. It was probably whispering at first, then speaking a little louder, and then eventually shouting. But instead of honoring those messages, I overrode them. I kept pushing through. I kept trying to keep up. I kept trying to prove something that did not need to be proven.

As a result, I came home from last year’s yoga retreat physically broken. I could not move my left arm out to the side, and an old injury I sustained to my mid back when I was 21 years old had flared up for the first time in 20 years. I was in so much pain, and the damage I did during those five days took about six months to fully heal.

It is almost comical when you think about it, because retreats are supposed to be rejuvenating and refilling. They are supposed to help you come home restored. But because I refused to back off and listen, I suffered severely.

My body paid the price for what my ego refused to hear.

That sentence feels so important because I think many of us do this in different ways. Maybe it is not yoga. Maybe it is work. Maybe it is exercise. Maybe it is caregiving. Maybe it is constantly saying yes. Maybe it is pushing through pain, exhaustion, stress, inflammation, or burnout because we think we are supposed to be able to handle it.

The body is not something to bully into submission. The body is something to partner with.

THIS YEAR, I CHOSE DIFFERENTLY

This year, before I even got to the retreat, I made a decision. I was still going to participate. I was still going to take the eight yoga classes in five days. I was still going to challenge myself, learn, grow, and glean as much wisdom as I could from the experience. But I was not going to perform.

I was not going to push just to prove something. I was not going to ignore my body for the sake of my ego. I was not going to come home broken again. This year, I decided I was going to listen to my body every step of the way. I was going to honor my pace. I was going to push when it felt appropriate, but I was also going to back off when my body asked me to.

This year, I decided that listening to my body mattered more than proving myself.

I still worked hard. I still challenged myself. I still practiced. I still learned. But this time, I practiced with more honesty. I allowed myself to modify. I allowed myself to rest. I allowed myself to back off without making it mean that I was weak, lazy, or less than anyone else in the room.

That was the real practice.

THE PARADOX OF BACKING OFF

Here is the funny and almost paradoxical thing. The more I backed off, the stronger I became. That sounds backwards, but it is true. By listening to my body instead of forcing it, I actually had more access to strength, balance, endurance, and presence. I was not wasting energy fighting my body. I was working with it.

And what was even crazier is that several people came up to me this year and told me how strong I looked compared to last year. That surprised me because I did not feel like I was pushing as hard. I did not feel like I was trying to be impressive. I was not trying to prove myself in the same way.

But apparently, honoring my body made me look stronger.

Sometimes backing off is not what makes you weaker. Sometimes backing off is what allows your true strength to show up.

That is the lesson.

There is power in knowing when to push, but there is deep wisdom in knowing when to back off.

YOUR BODY IS NOT SOMETHING TO CONQUER

So many of us treat our bodies like they are something to conquer. We push through pain. We override exhaustion. We ignore tightness, inflammation, fatigue, and warning signs. We think the answer is always to do more, try harder, push further, and keep going.

But pushing is not always the answer. Sometimes listening is the answer. Sometimes slowing down is the answer. Sometimes modifying is the answer. Sometimes rest is the answer. Sometimes backing off is the wisest and most powerful choice you can make.

Your body is not betraying you because it sends signals. Your body is communicating.

And the more you ignore it, the louder it usually has to become.

I see this all the time in my work. People push and push and push until the body finally throws a tantrum. By the time pain, inflammation, exhaustion, or dysfunction shows up, the body has usually been trying to get our attention for a long time. It is not always punishing us. Sometimes it is protecting us. Sometimes it is saying, “Please listen before this gets worse.”

BACKING OFF BUILDS INTEGRITY

This year, my yoga practice felt different because it felt more authentic. I was not trying to be someone I was not. I was not trying to perform strength. I was trying to practice with integrity.

Integrity is such a powerful word when it comes to the body. It means wholeness. It means alignment. It means that what is happening on the outside matches what is true on the inside. Last year, I may have looked like I was practicing yoga, but inside I was forcing, comparing, striving, and ignoring my own body. This year, I was still practicing yoga, but inside I was listening, honoring, adjusting, and trusting.

That is a very different experience.

And honestly, it made the retreat so much more meaningful. I came home feeling healthy, strong, vibrant, and grateful. Not because I pushed harder, but because I listened better. Not because I proved myself, but because I honored myself.

And that, my friends, is what makes my yoga practice both authentic and sustainable. After all, I do not want yoga to be something I survive for five days at a retreat. I want it to be a lifelong practice that strengthens, supports, and sustains me for years to come.

WHERE DO YOU NEED TO BACK OFF?

This lesson is not only about yoga. Maybe you need to back off from overworking, overcommitting, exercising through pain, saying yes when your body is begging you to say no, or forcing yourself to keep a pace that is no longer sustainable. Maybe you need to back off from proving, performing, and pretending you are fine.

Before you push through this week, pause and ask yourself a few honest questions. Am I moving from wisdom or ego? Am I honoring my body or trying to prove something? Is my body asking me to push, or is it asking me to soften?

Sometimes the body gives us quiet information before it gives us loud symptoms. Those whispers matter. A little tightness, fatigue, inflammation, pain, or that subtle sense that something is off may be your body asking you to pay attention before it has to get louder.

THE POWER OF BACKING OFF

Backing off does not mean giving up. It means paying attention. It means choosing wisdom over ego. It means respecting the body God gave you. It means learning to work with your body instead of constantly working against it. There is a difference between challenging the body and betraying the body. There is a difference between building strength and ignoring wisdom. There is a difference between discipline and punishment.

The old version of me probably would have needed to learn this lesson over and over again before finally listening, so the fact that I learned it in one retreat feels like a huge win. Last year, I came home broken. This year, I came home feeling healthy, strong, vibrant, and deeply grateful. That did not happen because I pushed harder. It happened because I listened better.

So this week, I want to encourage you to notice the whispers before they become screams. Give yourself permission to slow down, modify, rest, and back off when you need to.

Backing off is not quitting. Backing off is listening. Backing off is honoring. Backing off is wisdom in motion.

Because pushing is not always the answer.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your body is listen.

And sometimes the strongest, wisest, most healing choice you can make is to back off.