Adaptability

I recently binge watched a show called, “Alone,” on Netflix. Something about this survival show hit different. 

Contestants are dropped off in a remote location and live off the land for several months with only a handful of items - and their own knowledge.

At the start of one particular episode, they discuss research that supports adaptability as the number one skill for human survival. 

I found myself reciting this fact in a recent interview, as a reason why education systems that challenge contemporary boundaries are required for global progress. 

Adaptability.

The ability to face new challenges and find ways to thrive – or at least survive. 

I don’t hear this word much in trauma informed trainings, but I can’t help but draw parallels between adaptability and resilience. The latter being a very familiar word in mental health, social work and education. 

At In Yoga Collective, we study physiology and neuroscience in order to better understand how our bodies and minds are able to adapt and re-regulate through the impacts of challenge or trauma. 

There’s simplicity in also understanding that the skill of adaptability can be consciously cultivated. 

As the cost of living fluctuates and damages caused by climate change persist, adaptability is what allows us to shop at new stores (yes, even Walmart or the dollar store), move to new areas, revamp our budget, or reconsider an old story or narrative - to ultimately, survive.

I can’t help but consider my own multiple moves across the country, business closure, job changes and break-ups. Seeking to redeem parts of myself not yet uncovered, but also confronting the challenge of thriving in places I might not normally choose for myself. Places of discomfort and difference.

Enduring discomfort in order to realize the depths of our own adaptability is part of life.

As I face new challenges and surrender to the unknown of what comes next, I remind myself of adaptability. 

I’ve done it before, I will do it again. 

Adaptability is a skill, not necessarily something we were born with. And I - like many of you - am well practiced. 

With an awareness of the nervous system, and knowledge of what it feels like in the body and mind to be regulated or dysregulated, “trauma informed” tools can serve us to move through new and familiar challenges and allow ourselves to thrive.

Even if it sometimes feels more like surviving, being able to imagine and create new realities, and trust in the nervous system instills a sense of safety.

I urge you to consider your own experiences of adaptability, and when you were able to successfully explore new ways of moving forward. 

Acknowledging the strength of our adaptability brings new possibilities, new courage and new dreams into reality.

Wishing you the strength to embrace the adventures you have ahead, and the adaptability required to not only survive, but thrive.

We’re in this together. 

In Yoga,
Amy

Amy Osborne, M.A. E-RYT
Director / Founder
amy@inyogacollective.com