Why You Can’t Trust Your Feelings

When I teach yoga, I observe my students in their poses. By looking at a student in one pose, I can generally tell how they’ll hold their body in other poses.

I see where they are out of alignment: where one hip might be higher than another, or where they are slightly off-balance.

When I adjust them in the pose to help them even out, they are often surprised. They felt even before; the “new” way feels weird.

Welcome to the illusions of being in a human body.

Your “Feelings” Lie

The way we perceive our body to be in space — our proprioception — is often inaccurate. What feels “even” to us is simply what we’ve adapted to after years of using our body a certain way.

What feels “wrong” in the body is usually just “different” from what we’re used to.

With time, the body adapts and acclimates. What once felt “uncomfortable” eventually feels “normal.”

As I remind my students, this is why they come to class. Practicing yoga in class with a teacher to observe you — as opposed to on your own following a YouTube video — is essential to changing your habitual movement patterns.

We can’t see our own blind spots.

We can’t get out of our habits by ourselves.

Taking it Off the Mat

The same principle applies off the mat. The most effective way to change your habits — whether in movement, behavior, or thoughts — is to receive support from someone outside yourself.

To be sure, your own wisdom on “what’s aligned” is important. But what we “feel” is often inaccurate.

A big part of change is unlearning the habits that feel so normal to us.