Podcast Episode 11: When Effort Becomes the Problem

Aug 24

2 min read

We talk about using force, restriction and willpower. You may recognize this in the strict protocol, the intense regime or plan, the renewed resolve that starts on Monday.

These are some of the normalized approaches to health and wellbeing in our culture. And also, often, some of the least effective for creating lasting change. This episode explores why.

Podcast cover image for episode 12 — When Effort Becomes the Problem - From the Inside Out, Episode 7. Yoga, Ayurveda and Somatic Wisdom for Modern Life with Maxi Meissner.

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What this episode is about

This episode looks honestly at why forice, restriction and willower so often deepen the pattern they're trying to solve, and why that's not a personal failing but a very understandable response in the culture we're living in.

I talk about what force and restriction actually look like in daily life, in things often so normalized we don't even notice them anymore. And I also talk about why're drawn to them: Because they are familiar, because they give us a sense of control and because intense doing is a very effective way of not having to feel what's underneath; And because in a culture that equstes effort with worthiness, pushing hard can feel the right thing to do.

I also talk a out what the nervous system actuyally hears when we apply force to an already depleted system - and why, from a nervous system perspective, that tends to apml;ify the pattern. About the Ayurvedic principles of like increases like. ANd about Ashtanga Mysore Yoga practice, including an honest look at how Ashtanga may reinforce the willpower narrative (if practiced in that way) and what the practice becomes when we let it be something different. Because when Mysore practice is approached with genuine inquiry and care, it can become one of the most supportive and nourishing things you do for your nervous system and body.