- Yoga is about paying attention…
…to breath, body, thoughts, sensations, emotions, whatever the heck comes up throughout your practice. If you are doing mindless motions, then you are doing aerobics, not yoga.
- Transformation happens more easily when we are gentle with ourselves.
Throughout class we stay present with smooth, even, deep breaths. If your breath becomes shallow or jagged, you’ve gone too far “beyond your edge.” This isn’t to say that everything about class is easy. It is possible to challenge yourself and be gentle at the same time – it’s a balancing act, an ebb and flow of opposite energies.
- Yoga practice is an opportunity to slow down and de-stress.
Life is already too busy and fast paced. Most people spend the majority of their time in “fight or flight” mode (this is particularly true for those with chronic back pain). By slowing down, being mindful and taking deep breaths on your yoga mat, you reset your nervous system to the relaxation response. Aahhhh…that feels better!
- Our physical bodies, emotions, and life circumstances are all interconnected.
How could they not be? Your body is experiencing every moment of your day. If your life has you stressed out, or you try to control everything around you, chances are your muscles are tight. Our bodies are really pretty smart and willing to communicate to us if we’re willing to listen. Therefore, your yoga practice can be used as a way to inform the rest of your life.
- There is no one, right way.
Our bodies are all different; hence, we all need slightly different alignment cues and adjustments. As someone who has taught yoga for over 15 years, has completed extensive training, and who now trains others to teach yoga, I can assure you that yoga teachers often fall prey to “alignment check lists.” They say things like “tuck your tailbone” or “draw your shoulder blades down your back” to the entire class when it’s very possible that half of the attendees don’t need to do those things. As a yoga therapist, I teach to individuals. This is even more important with yoga for backcare and scoliosis. If we don’t correct for individual asymmetries, we can actually cause our back conditions to worsen.