Why Do We Resist Change?

The other evening, at my weekly yoga class, the regular yoga teacher was off so we had a replacement.  She introduced herself and the first thing I noticed was that she’d placed her yoga mat at the opposite end of the room to where the regular teacher usually did the class.  There was a vague disquiet in the room as everyone realised we’d be lying the other way. 

Once the class started, it was obvious the format would be different too. After demonstrating a new exercise she paused.  We were all lying on our backs when she said, “I know some of you may be feeling a bit discombobulated, frustrated, angry even, that you have a different teacher and that this isn’t the ‘normal class’.  Maybe some of you are invigorated by it.  Either way, go with any emotion you feel.  It’s all good.” 

It was as if there was a collective unconscious letting go in the room, and listening to her speak as I pulled myself up into downward dog, I realised how perceptibly she had picked up on the energy around us.  She reminded us that every time we step onto the mat we are a different person – no day is the same, and we are not the same person we were yesterday.  She quoted Heraclitus’ famous line, “No man ever steps in the same river twice,” meaning both the river and the person are always changing.

She was an excellent teacher just different, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable class.  But it was only when she openly acknowledged the mood in the room that I recognised the unconscious resistance in myself – that’s when a subtle shift occurred.

So how is it that such a small change – in what was only an hour’s class – had pushed me into ‘fight or flight mode, and seemingly most of the room, without even being aware. 

We all have our routines, and there is something comforting in that. But change is inevitable, and things happen that throw those routines into the air – even if it’s only an hour of yoga.  What I realised then was that when we embrace the fact that we are in a constant state of flux  (challenging as that can be), we open ourselves up to the opportunity for growth. 

For me, I had never done the deer pose in a yoga class before, and it was surprisingly relaxing.