being seen is hard
You may have spotted that we released our summer run for merch a couple of weeks ago.
I was so grateful to have the opportunity to work on the design for this release. The Nin community has always been a space that celebrates creativity and expression, so exploring the theme of summer in my own voice was such joy.
But when I shared the design and started seeing the merch go live, something unexpected bubbled up…
I felt uncomfortable.
It hit me that people would actually see my work. It would be printed on shirts. I’d see it around the studio. And, like many artists, if I stare at my own work too long I start to pick at it.
When a friend messaged to say they loved the design, I admitted how uneasy I felt. She replied with a simple truth:
“Being seen is hard.”
I’m not new to being visible. As a yoga teacher, trainer, and artist I’m “seen” in many ways. But this moment made me reflect on a theme that comes up often in yoga, especially in Yin and in meditation: the practice of sitting with discomfort.
We tend to think our practice is what happens on the mat. In one sense, it is. We practice movement, stillness, concepts, and ideas in a safe space during class.
But what are we practising for?
We practice so that off the mat, we’re more resilient, flexible, grounded, and capable of meeting life as it unfolds.
So I chose to sit with the discomfort of being seen, just as I have practised sitting with discomfort countless times on my mat. And when I viewed it through that lens, something shifted. I realised I was capable. I have evidence from years of practice that I can meet what arises, even the discomfort created by my own mind and thoughts.
Yoga is so much more than asana. It’s a place where we get to explore what it means to be human. A place where we develop the capacity to hold all the parts of our experience. We can explore creativity, vulnerability, joy, doubt, growth, and so much more, and learn just how very capable we are.
Thank you for being a community that allows me to explore myself and that makes being seen feel just a little less scary.
P.S. Our Summer Solstice Drum circle is coming up on December 20th at our Penrith Studio. Free for members with 5 spots left up for grabs, or $45 without a membership.
