Do you really wanna eliminate resistance?
Resistance gets a bad rap.
Honoring resistance is one of the most important things I do with my clients.
I cannot tell you how often my clients are coming to me to resolve what I consider to be sacred resistance, because they've been taught to pathologize it.
One of the first things I say is "resistance is why you can sit on that chair and not just slip right off."
Resistance is sacred because it is necessary. It is sacred because it is here as part of reality. A physical environment without resistance is incredibly inconvenient, and an emotional and mental ecosystem without resistance is equally implausible.
Resistance is a force we have the opportunity to work alongside. It assists us in pacing, communication, boundaries, understanding our comfort zone, and remaining within range. It is one of the central tensions of human life. Rather than seeking to eliminate it, can we get exquisite with managing the tension it has to offer?
I offer to my clients, and now I offer to you—join the resistance. Get on board, cooperate and cocreate with the conveniently bounded energy contained for you within your resistance.
It is ready for you to use in whatever manner you choose. It will keep you safe from going too fast or too hard. It contains what is yours and it serves you.
Join the resistance.
I thought about this for a while. In my yoga classes, I definitely paint resistance as a bad player and regularly cue students to notice resistance and release it. It never occurred to me to think about it on a spectrum.
When I reflect on the little-big things I do to simulate safety, those habitual tendencies feel resisty. Like I’m resisting:
-claiming what’s mine (dang if that wasn’t a great illustration! Thanks, Hannah)
-light hearted, playfulness in myself
-being responsible for my own experience
-exquisite appreciation
This is a tricky one for me. Hmmm.