Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Getting out of your comfort zone can bring many rewards as I found out when I was living and teaching yoga in Phuket Thailand. One day I got asked to start learning SUP yoga and help out the other yoga teacher working with me who taught SUP yoga and assist her on her SUP yoga classes which would eventually lead me to teaching my own classes.

I remember in that moment I felt excited but petrified at the same time, partly because I had never done SUP (stand up paddleboard) at all and then the thought of having to teach people to do yoga on a paddleboard in water was terrifying, having nearly drowned at the beach as a child and being scared of big waves. To say it was out of my comfort zone was an understatement, I had a lot of fear and trauma linked to that near drowning event as a child but I knew I had to face the past, put it behind me and move forward as I would be so proud of myself if I could do it.

I began taking SUP yoga lessons and boy was it hard to balance but I got better the more I practised. I also started practising my paddle board skills many times a week by getting out in the water and paddling. I noticed my arm, leg strength and core starting to get so much stronger and my balance was improving all the time. I was encountering choppy waters and waves every time I got in and out of the water with my board at the beach and this was one of the biggest challenges I faced because I was scared of waves but I learnt to stay calm and focused on what I was doing and not let the fear overtake me.

I remember assisting one of Erin’s SUP yoga classes and we had about 6 people in the class. One of the ladies was very frightened and couldn’t swim well, she had a life jacket on as did everyone else but really wanted to do the class. I helped her through the waves and stayed by her side and talked her through the choppy waters until we got to the calmer waters where we did the yoga class on our boards. After the class I helped her get back through the waves which had got bigger and it was a real struggle back to shore for her because she was not a great swimmer and also had a paddle board to navigate which was a new experience.

It’s funny in that moment what happened, I forgot about my fear with the waves and my main focus was getting this lady in safely and her not being scared as I could sense she was starting to panic. My coaching and counselling mode went into top gear and I talked her through it. I told her when to jump off the board, grabbed it quickly and she walked into the beach smiling. She was so proud of herself and she hugged me afterwards and said thankyou I couldn’t have done it without you.

I wanted to cry in that moment because I had not only worked through my own fear but helped somebody else work through theirs too and that was the best feeling in the world and one I will never forget. I am very proud of myself I took the plunge and got out of my comfort zone and learnt how to teach SUP yoga and I am very grateful to my teacher Erin who was a wonderful teacher and taught me.

So the moral of the story is face your fears, get uncomfortable and challenge yourself because you’ll be so happy and proud of yourself that you did and you’ll be inspiring other people along the way.

If you want to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone than coming on one of the I Am Free And Well Retreats is a great way to grow, evolve and create change. Check out all the retreats on offer here https://iamfreeandwell.com/retreats/

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear”