Defining Discomfort
Thomas from Yes Theory and Dora discuss what seeking discomfort means to them, from pushing themselves physically to the vulnerability in trying new things.
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How far can I push myself? What is feasible? How do I turn down the volume on that doubting brain? (mellow music) Alright, so I have this bowl that has different experiences that you have done throughout your journey with Yes Theory. And each experience is tied to something to do with seeking discomfort, and how we can learn to work through navigating discomfort, how to get unstuck when we experience discomfort, and also, what are your practices, or the different things that you do before, during and after. Amazing. You ready? Excited to get into it. Alright. Wim Hof. Okay! (chuckling) What comes to mind? (laughing) Oh, man. Wim Hof is a man who, for the past 30 years or so, have been breaking countless world records around cold exposure. And through cold exposure, breath work and meditation, he helps people overcome their fears and live life fully. And he definitely helped me achieve that. It was definitely an experience where I had to learn how to just shatter my own beliefs of my limitations. I have picked this video because I wanted to understand what is seeking discomfort, and how has that evolved? I think seeking discomfort for me means seeking ways to live a fuller life. Yeah, to be present, to enjoy my life, to talk to the people that I want to talk to and not be afraid of being judged, or being socially anxious, or not letting fear restrict me from experiencing life fully. And I really gained a whole new perspective of all of the physical limitations I placed on myself, and learning how far can I push myself, what is feasible, and how do I turn down the volume on that doubting brain? 'Cause I think when you push yourself physically, just like you did recently on a marathon, was there any point when you did that marathon where your thinking brain was like, "I think we should just stop?" Yeah, absolutely. There was a few moments along the whole race where I was like, "I wonder if anyone would notice if I just like kinda cut the corner and left." (laughing) I'm like, "No one's watching me. There's thousands of us here." But I'm like, "I'm cheating myself then of this experience to grow past my comfort zone." So it was like, "How can I just break this down to one moment at a time? Don't think about the fact that you're at mile 16, and you have 10 more miles to run. Like, be here now." So when you moved to LA, you also had to learn how to adapt to a lot, not just moving here and making new friends, but also the challenge of being on camera for the first time in your life. How did that feel? It's been hard. I had to keep on redefining the way that I was looking at it, of like, "This is bigger than you now," you know. "You're here to be of service...
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About your teachers
- More about Andy
A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.
- More about Eve
Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.
- More about Dora
As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.
- More about Kessonga
Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.
- More about Rosie
Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.
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