The Goddess Pose I Wanted to Quit

And what it taught me about discomfort

Author

Erika Muralidhar
April 07, 2026

You know that moment when you’re in an uncomfortable position?

It could be a conversation you don’t want to be in—where you just want to shrink into the floor and disappear.

It could be a movement hold, like a plank or a squat, when your body starts to burn.

It could happen on a walk, when your legs start to feel like jelly, and you’re only halfway home.

It’s that moment when, simply put, you want to get out. To retreat.

I had one of those moments this week.

I was in yoga, holding a goddess pose (a wide-legged squat), and I was burning. All I wanted to do was stand up, shake out my legs, or come out of the pose.

In my head, it was on repeat: This hurts. When is this over? This is torture.

Then my yoga teacher said something that stopped me: “I know you’re uncomfortable. Tune in—what are you saying to yourself in this discomfort? Can you soften your language? Relax your face. Breathe deeper. You are strong. You are powerful.”

And I paused.

I shifted my script: I can do this. I am strong. Breathe in strength, out discomfort.

That simple moment reminded me of two things:
I have endless choices, and my mind matters.

In moments of discomfort, we always have a choice:

I could have stood up.
I could have gone into child’s pose.
I could have stayed.

There was no wrong answer.

But I chose to stay, not to punish myself or compete with anyone, but because I recognized something: discomfort isn’t always something to escape. Sometimes, it’s where growth is happening.

And even within that choice, there was another one: How did I want to feel inside that growth?

I could stay in resistance:
I hate this. When is this over?

Or I could shift into something softer:
I’ve got this. I am strong.

Same moment. Different experience.

It’s all my choice.

This concept is bigger than yoga.

It’s how we show up in our bodies, our relationships, our work, and our boundaries. When something feels uncomfortable, we rush to escape it through food, distraction, control, or perfection. Not because we’re weak, but because our nervous system doesn’t feel safe staying.

But what if discomfort isn’t the problem?

What if it’s the way we meet ourselves inside it?
What if, instead of immediately trying to escape it, we paused…
and got curious?
What is this feeling trying to show me?
What am I telling myself right now?

Because often, it’s not just the discomfort we’re reacting to, it’s the meaning we’ve attached to it. And when we shift that meaning, something changes.

We don’t have to force ourselves to push through.
We don’t have to override ourselves to grow.
We can support ourselves in the moment.

So the next time you feel that urge to shrink, avoid, or run…

Pause.

Tune in.

And ask yourself: How do I want to meet myself here?

If you’re starting to notice how often you push through or try to escape discomfort…

It’s not about doing more or forcing yourself to change.
It’s about learning how to feel safe enough to do things differently.

To move from control to connection.
From pressure to self-trust.

Because real change doesn’t happen when you push harder. It happens when your body finally feels safe enough to respond differently.

Services I offer:

Reply

or to participate.