Building Confidence and Discovering Your Potential Through Yoga: A Personal Journey with Crow Pose 🧘‍♀️🐦‍⬛❄️

Mar 27, 2025

4 min read

Yoga has an incredible way of transforming not just your body, but also your mindset. It's about more than just stretching or strengthening; it's about cultivating resilience, pushing through limitations, and ultimately discovering the vast potential that lies within you. I recently had the opportunity to experience this in a very personal way, and I want to share how yoga—specifically, the Crow pose—has helped me not only in my practice but also in my life off the mat.

A few months ago, I broke my wrist while learning to snowboard. It was a painful and discouraging experience, one that could have easily led me to abandon snowboarding altogether. I could have chosen to stick to skis, something I was already comfortable with, and play it safe. But that’s not the kind of person I want to be, and that’s not the lesson I want to teach my daughter.

Instead of letting fear and doubt hold me back, I decided to face the challenge head-on. I made the decision to get back on the mountain, to pick up a snowboard again, and to continue learning and growing. I had something invaluable on my side: yoga.

The Role of Yoga in Building Confidence

Yoga teaches you to trust yourself. It encourages you to embrace the discomfort and uncertainty that come with growth. In Crow pose (Bakasana), for example, you balance your entire body on your arms. It requires strength, focus, and most of all, a leap of faith. At first, it’s intimidating. The idea of lifting your feet off the ground can feel like you’re asking for disaster. But with practice, you begin to find your center of gravity. You start to trust that your body is strong enough to hold you up, you can find the proper mechanics to lift off, and your mind is clear enough to stay calm and focused.

That feeling of trust—of knowing that you can do something even when it seems impossible—is exactly what helped me get back on the snowboard. Snowboarding, much like Crow pose, requires that you balance on the edge of confidence and vulnerability. It's about trusting that you have the strength to rise after every fall, both physically and emotionally. And just like in yoga, where the mat becomes a space to explore, the mountain was my “mat,” where I could practice and push my limits without fear of failure.

Resilience: More Than Just a Physical Practice

One of the most powerful lessons yoga has taught me is resilience. Bakasana requires more than just physical strength; it requires mental fortitude. There are times when you fall. There are times when you think you’ll never get it. But yoga teaches you that resilience isn’t about avoiding failure—it’s about how you respond to it.

After my injury, I could have let fear dictate my actions. But instead, I used the resilience I built on the mat to fuel my return to snowboarding. Every time I fell, I got back up. I reminded myself that progress isn’t linear. It’s about the journey, not the destination.

Crow in the Snow

Last week, I did it. I got back on the board and rode down the mountain. I fell alot. That's part of learning. But it was a victory...and the victory didn’t stop there. While out in the snow, I found a good spot, took a deep breath, and went for it - a Crow in the Snow. It was a symbolic moment for me. It was a reminder that I had pushed through my fears, not just on the mat, but in life. I wasn’t just conquering a physical challenge—I was conquering my own doubts.

That Crow pose was more than just a fun yoga move; it was a testament to everything yoga has taught me about self-belief, strength, and perseverance. And it was also a reminder that I’m always capable of more than I think.

Discovering Your Potential

Yoga isn’t just about getting your feet off the ground in Crow pose, or strength or flexibility, or any one thing. It’s about understanding your own potential. It’s about pushing past your limits, challenging your fears, and embracing the growth that comes from both success and failure. Whether you're on the mat or on the slopes, yoga teaches you that you can always get back up, no matter how many times you fall.

I didn’t let a broken wrist stop me. I didn’t let fear stop me. And I certainly didn’t let the idea of sticking to what’s easy hold me back. I got back on the mountain, and I got back on a board. And now, I can say with pride that I not only took on a new challenge, but I did it alongside my daughter!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: we are all capable of far more than we realize. Yoga has given me the confidence to step into my power, both on and off the mat. And if you ever doubt yourself, remember this: you can certainly do whatever it is that scares you too.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope my story inspires you to find the confidence and resilience within yourself. And if you're ready to take your own Crow pose practice to the next level, join me for a fun and empowering session on the mat! You don't have to lift off; you can build up to that. But you can begin!