"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it"

J.M Barrie, from Peter Pan

Has anyone been watching the cricket?

I've somehow got into cricket in recent years. If you don't follow it, trust me - test cricket is absolutely riveting!

Maybe you do or don't follow the sport, but in case you didn't know, the England cricket team hasn't had a great test record in the last few years. A run of 17 match losses - the criticism, the disappointment and dismay. But, under new management and new captaincy, something special is happening. Wins! Extraordinary, unexpected wins.

Amongst other changes, what new tactic is the cited reason for this surprising success?

Mindset, Positivity, BELIEF.

Not a new concept in sport. Only this week at Wimbledon, Djokovich, at two sets down said he looked in the mirror and 'gave himself a talking to' with a positive affirmation and came back for the win.

Of course, you can't win matches without skill, hard work and teamwork. The mind can't do everything. But the mindset you adopt and positive psychology may give you that added edge that allows you to find possibility in what you previously thought was impossible. Belief really is that powerful.

Talking to yourself

Do you ever catch yourself in positive or negative self-talk on the mat?

In that small space of the mat, my self-talk has dictated the choices I've made, moment to moment. I've often talked myself out of a pose or from trying it in the first place.

Thoughts I've had over the years: "I'm too weak to hold this plank, I'm too stiff for this stretch, I can't stay still in Savasana". "I just can't do this" - it's like my mind has decided what I'm capable of before I give my body a chance.

What would happen if we try replacing the 'can't do' thoughts that arise from fear, doubt and disbelief, switching them out for thoughts which inspire belief, confidence and trust? How many more opportunities could we give ourselves to build not just muscle memory but the memory of capability?

Building Belief

The inner voice that believes wants to grow louder in us all.

When I say, "Yes, I can", I can stay longer in a challenging pose; I'm nudged to try, push the boundaries, be brave and grow. But observing self-talk on the mat isn't just about noticing during yoga. As ever, practice presents a microcosm of the macrocosm - the mat becomes a window into broader life. So when you observe self-belief, or self-doubt - you also start to observe it off the mat.

I find we all are capable of more than we believe. So let's let that positive voice shine. Then, as we step off the mat, standing tall, we take that confidence, that belief with us. Then, who knows - the impossible might just become possible.