A Blissful Life 8/11/2026: Listen Before You Push

How often do we pause to ask ourselves what we actually need?

Not what we should be doing, or what we planned to do, or what we think we should be capable of. But what we need in this moment.

I think about this often when I’m practicing yoga. We come into a posture and there can be an almost automatic desire to go further. Maybe we reach a little more, stretch a little deeper, hold a little longer. There is nothing wrong with challenging ourselves. I love the feeling of getting stronger and discovering new possibilities in my body. But I’ve also learned that more isn’t always better.

Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do in a posture is stay exactly where we are and listen. How is my breath? Where am I holding tension? Does this feel like a place I can explore, or am I forcing something that isn’t available to me today?

The more we practice, the more we begin to understand that our bodies are constantly giving us information. The breath changes. The jaw tightens. The shoulders hike toward the ears. We feel energized and curious, or tired and resistant. None of these things are good or bad. They are simply something to notice.

To me, this is where yoga becomes much more than a physical practice. We begin to learn the difference between challenging ourselves and overriding ourselves. We learn when to stay, when to explore a little further and when to soften. And perhaps most importantly, we learn that those choices can change from one day to the next.

A posture that felt spacious yesterday might feel completely different today. So might your life. There are seasons when we have more to give. There are days when we feel strong, creative and ready to take on something difficult. And there are days when the kindest and wisest choice is to do less.

The hard part is learning to hear ourselves beneath all the noise about what we should be doing. We are so accustomed to measuring progress by how much we accomplish, how hard we work or how far we go. But there is another kind of progress that is much quieter.

It is becoming more honest with ourselves.

It is noticing when we need rest before we reach exhaustion. Recognizing when something no longer feels right. Allowing ourselves to change our minds. And also knowing when we really do have more inside of us– and gently encouraging ourselves forward.

This month at Ocean Bliss, we have been exploring devotion. I think listening is a beautiful form of devotion. When we truly listen to ourselves, we stop treating the body as something to control and begin relating to it as something to care for. We stop assuming that growth always requires force. Sometimes growth asks us to reach. Sometimes it asks us to stay. Sometimes it asks us to soften. The practice is learning to listen before we decide.

Come practice with us at Ocean Bliss and give yourself some space to listen. Our next 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training begins September 18. If you feel called to deepen your practice and your understanding of yoga, enrollment is open now. Visit our website (oceanblisyoga.net) to learn more, or reach out to me (917-318-1168) with any questions.