If you struggle with social anxiety, you might also have inner thigh pain. Because our legs are biologically programmed to run when we first spot danger, fear towards others is often stored here. Aletheia Luna
When reflecting on your behaviour, what is your pattern when you confront discomfort or even danger? Is your impulse to hightail it or firmly plant your feet and stand your ground? If you typically choose to run, then fear is overpowering your ability to discern whether the perceived danger is real or imagined.
Do you believe this statement — How people treat you is a reflection of them, not you.? Kindness and compassion come from gentle loving people. Think Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Criticism and judgment come from insecure people. Think Adoph Hitler and Donald Trump.
When we allow ourselves to believe others’ judgments about who we are, we opt into victimhood and opt out of self-responsibility. In so doing, we do not claim our own truth but instead blame others for our suffering. In essence, by embracing others’ perceptions of who we are, we give away our personal power to those happy to find fault.
Repressive childhood environments — home and school — set the stage for this deep sense of unworthiness. The path back to self-love and healthy social relationships is through reclaiming our personal power. We do that by saying “Yes” to situations and people triggering our discomfort and social anxiety. The courage to confront this social fear is a vital step because each time we do so, we grow our confidence.
Grow your confidence and sense of self-worth by experiencing the following yoga actions and 60-minute sequence. For more experienced yogis and yoginis, add in a yoga pose that triggers feelings of discomfort for you. Can you find/create a supported variation of the pose that takes you another step closer to comfort and to understanding what your hidden fears are?
BADDHA KONASANA (Bound Angle) 5 minutes
– use the following yoga actions to centre:
YOGA ACTIONS:
1. Grounding: From inner trochanters, lengthen down inner thighs, inner knees, inner calves, inner ankles into inner heels.
2. Stabilizing & Lengthening: From inner trochanters, lengthen/lift psoas up over sides of the pubic bone, back to sides of the lumbar spine, and up to back of xiphoid process/respiratory diaphragm.
ANJANEYASANA (Lo Lunge) 10 Breaths each side
EKA PADA RAJAKAPOTASANA (One-legged King Pigeon)
– 10 Breaths each side
– small belt loop around foot; arms straight
GOMUKHASANA (Cow Face) 10 Breaths each side
GARUDASANA (Eagle) 10 Breaths each side
NATARAJASANA (Lord of the Dance) 10 Breaths each side
MALASANA (Garland) 10-20 Breaths
BAKASANA (Crane) 10 Breaths
– squeeze inner thighs & inner knees together
DHANURASANA (Bow) 10 Breaths
HANUMANASANA (Monkey) 10 Breaths each side
SAVASANA (Corpse) 5-10 minutes
– legs over a bolster
May all beings be peaceful and at ease. Namaste.
