Honor Yourself with Your Yoga Practice

Have you ever gotten on your mat and started your yoga practice only to find yourself feeling out of sorts? A few weeks ago I was practicing to an audio from a wonderful yoga teacher that I very much like and respect. About 20 minutes into the practice I felt "off" -- it was as if my whole body was frowning. I didn't want to continue. I was craving more movement. I let go of my "finish what you start" mentality and turned off the audio. I then began to practice a more flowing sequence, one with more of a focus on breath and body sensation than alignment. I could feel a lightness in my body and an enthusiasm for my practice as soon as I made the change.

This experience reminded me of the importance of getting off autopilot, casting habit aside and checking in with myself to see if my actions are honoring my needs. I do this in my daily life quite often, so why not in my yoga practice? 

Interestingly enough I'm currently learning from teachers that provide me with a practice that I'm supposed to do every day. There are benefits to doing the same practice every day, yes. Still, there's a large part of me that resists this idea because I'm not the same every day. My mood differs, my physical condition changes -- shouldn't my yoga practice change as well? Then there are the cycles of life -- season, time of day, time of life -- these changes definitely affect my desires around my yoga practice. For instance, during my monthly cycle, I like to practice a bit more gently, sometimes holding yoga poses for longer periods of time (a more introspective Yin yoga).

Perhaps it's yoga ADD but my personal practice looks different every day. When I first started doing this, I was a bit tough on myself -- I felt as though I should have more discipline and do the same practice day in and day out. When I realized that I would dread getting on my yoga mat some days, I knew things needed to change. Ever since I gave myself permission to change my yoga practice based on what was happening for me in the moment did my practice become an effortless joy. I suppose this is why I don't have a problem maintaining a regular home practice. I practice at my own pace and I acknowledge and accept what's going on for me each day by changing my yoga practice to reflect what I notice.

In order to practice this way, you need to sit and take stock before jumping right into your practice. I recommend sitting and breathing and noticing how you're feeling (emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally). Take into account the time of day that you're practicing -- if it's late in the day, perhaps your practice should be more focused on winding down. Notice if you're wanting to slow down or if you're craving movement. Once you're in touch with the type of practice you need, you can alter your practice so that it honors those needs.

Don't fret if you prefer to practice with a DVD/CD at home. You can easily make small changes to suit your needs. Here are just a few suggestions:

• If you're needing movement and the DVD features postures held for a longer period of time, make the pose dynamic. For example -- in Warrior post, rather than hold the posture for 5-10 breaths, come into the pose (bending the knee and raising the arms) on an inhale and out of it on an exhale (straighten the leg and lower the arms). 
• If you're needing stillness and introspection but your DVD offers more of a flow, slow down the pace. Hold each pose for a little longer, rest in Child's Pose regularly throughout the practice -- slow things down without worrying that you're not keeping up with the DVD.
• If you find yourself spacing out during the practice, use mudra and/or sound to keep you grounded. For example, if you're practicing forward bend touch your thumb and index fingers together once your hands are above your head. Release the mudra as you bend forward. Bring the thumb and index finger back together once exhale forward and your hands reach the ground (or your shins). Same thing for adding sound -- incorporate a simple sound (like Om or Namaha, which is one of my favorites) when you go into and/or out of a pose.

Yoga doesn't have to be the same old, same old. You can make small alterations in your practice to suit your needs on any given day. When your yoga practice supports your needs, your time on the mat becomes nurturing self care rather than a workout or an obligation.

Namaste!

Comments

[Sanjay]

Well Explained. Yoga is a practice to sync our Body, Mind and Soul. Thanks for sharing.

[yoga fitness]

Great post I got a lot out of it love the message! Thanks for sharing.

Namaste, Christina

[vitamine]

Good post!Yoga keeps your body warm and healthy.It helps you to stay fit and away from fat.I m doing Yoga regularly in morning and i feel so fresh and energetic whole day.Yoga makes you feel stressed out.Hope to hear from you in future.Thanks for sharing.

[Women Lose Belly Fat]

You should!

Yoga is a form of deep discipline for yourself (mind, body and soul)!

[Emma]

i really appreciate your msg here... i sometimes like to say that sometimes your yoga is *not* doing yoga. it's what you need for the here and now.

cheers,

emma