Eternal newbie seeks light in the gloom

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I would appreciate advice from the experienced members of this forum on a difficult matter. I can’t say that I am an exact newbie to yoga in that have been practicing yoga off and on for many years. I know some of the asanas, the breathing IN THEORY. But when it comes down to the doing of it, my mind and body do not come together. Thus, I am unable to get past a beginner level, if that. Some of the problems I face in my yoga class are:

I am not able to hold a pose for a required beat. Or if I can get into a pose, my breathing stops for a spell. I simply don’t have the strength to lift my body into many of the poses though I am not inflexible per se. But it is as if my body does not want to cooperate.

My mind races a lot during class, and all kinds of strange things pass through my head when I am trying to center myself. I find myself getting upset when I see others able to effortless lift and hold themselves for what seems like an eternity and then move on quickly. I can’t keep up with the pace of even a beginner’s class. Inevitably I leave the class a little bit sad.

I feel there is something blocking my energy and my focus but I don’t know what. I don’t even know myself well enough to know what is wrong or who might help me.

Can someone here advise me on what should I do to be able to make progress in my practice of yoga?

#2

As patanjali states, “Practice in all earnestness”

If you practice yoga On and Off, then I will assume yoga is not a truth to you. Become yoga and let it become you.

#3

Maverick,
The name suggests you want to be different than the most.

That is what you can be in Yoga. There are as many Yoga paths as there are seekers. You don’t need to begin with asana or be able to center your mind instantly. One thing you will need all along is patience.

You can start with a huge project - know thyself! Start reading about Yoga again and start questioning what you are not convinced about. The best way will be to search for evidence in your own past life to either validate a concept or reject it.

In parallel, work on your breathing. Try to make it even and rhythmic and using both your chest and uppoer abdomen. Watch how breathing becomes shallow and irregular under stress and deep at rest or faster in excitement. Read about and try mudras that you think would enhance your ability to conentrate and will power.

Give six months to let you know yourself enough to decide what Yoga path is for you. You will know it.

#4

Interesting question.

I believe the state you are asking about is one that comes about when the student combines the five requirements of a student of yoga with an intention and discipline. The five I reference are urge to grow, willingness to change, sound teacher, effort (tapas), and patience.

I don’t believe one gets to such a level with periodic practice even over many years. In the practice, as I view it, one thing builds upon the foundation of another and the entire house of cards can crumble when something that needs maintaining is not maintained.

For a student who cannot, over time, breathe in asana or hold poses (required count not withstanding) I would suggest a different practice, perhaps a gentler practice, a targeted practice - rather than some standardize one-size-fits-all which leaves that student feeling sad. Of course it’s perfectly fine to feel sad after practice, just as it is perfectly fine to feel joy after practice.

Everyone’s mind races during practice. That is the nature of the untrained mind. Again, something built over decades does not go of its own volition in a few weeks. For my students, in this very state you outline, I suggest they do the mental centering the tapping and flowering at the heart center, and the tracing of the third eye to the heart center. These are the “snacks” of Purna Yoga meditation and can be done safely by anyone in less than 5 minutes - or longer when you are ready.

gordon

#5

My five cents:

It is habitual to mistake the imitation of asana for the asana itself. Asana is more than a bodily movement, it’s a body-breath-mind-spirit alignment, a kind of bodily/motor meditation. So do not mind about your strength or flexibility so much, they are not capital for reaping fruits from your asana practice.

What you need is constancy, patience and faith.

Good luck.

#6

I have come to realize that keeping momentum in my yoga practice goes hand in hand with how much energy I put towards it. Nothing positive comes from me beating myself up over a couple of missed days, or not fitting it in as often as I think I should…so to give myself a break, I thought of things that I could fit into every day…no matter what my schedule entails.

Everyone has those days where you just can’t fit it in. Whether it be work, family, kids, events, exhaustion, or any other convenient excuse…I still believe that you can give yourself 5 minutes at some point in the day.

  1. 1 minute to sit, and just breathe. (you can do this in bed…what excuse can you really have to not do it?)

  2. 3 minutes to do 5 vinyasa’s…or 3 minutes of stretching

  3. 1 minute for bridge pose (or anything that brings your hips above your heart level)

  4. 1 minute another chance to breathe, and possibly meditate
    **WARNING- This could possibly lead to a longer, more beneficial meditation session…and a great nap or night’s sleep (: **

These aren’t something that will fix your problem immediately. But it will give your body the pattern of finding peace and breath every day…no matter how stressed out you are, and no matter how busy your day gets. The more often you find your breath, and feel your body relax into it, the easier it will be for you to find this while practicing yoga.

All my best :slight_smile:
~Jenn

#7

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;66182]

Everyone’s mind races during practice. That is the nature of the untrained mind. Again, something built over decades does not go of its own volition in a few weeks. For my students, in this very state you outline, I suggest they do the [B]mental centering the tapping and flowering at the heart center,[/B] and the [B]tracing of the third eye to the heart center[/B]. These are the “snacks” of Purna Yoga meditation and can be done safely by anyone in less than 5 minutes - or longer when you are ready.

gordon[/QUOTE]

Gordon,

would you be so kind as to tell me how to actually do these techniques?

I"m looking to expand on the meditation that I do and these seem, as you said, to be open to anyone.

thanks in advance for any help you can offer

#8

Thank you all for your insightful and thoughtful replies.

@Suhas - Perhaps you can say that I am a wannabe maverick, albeit a pretty raw one. But it’s really not through choice. I am as God made me. I came to Yoga precisely because nothing else seems to fit. I know this is the right path for me. You’re spot on about the breathing - I have shallow breath.

@Gordon - could you expand on the techniques you mentioned? I am not familiar with them. You are right in saying generic classes don’t work for some people. Working out in gyms, group classes for Zumba etc just don’t work for me.

@Jenn - Yes, you are right. I tend to throw the baby out with the bathwater i.e. when I am not able to practice for a while, I will beat myself up and stop practicing altogether. I should stop doing this.

@JSK - I’m not sure what you mean.

Perhaps at the end of it all, I need to practice more diligently and with more faith. I don’t do enough of either.

#9

Frankly, I’m not remotely comfortable attempting to convey meditation techniques through the Internet. It is difficult enough to tippy-toe around asana instruction and the misunderstandings the medium and the level of conveyance/listening lead to.

Further, this isn’t static practice. It is evolving practice and what is written on the Internet appears to remain there in perpetuity. Were I an idle layperson I might not mind. But since I’m a Purna Yoga™ teacher I have to exercise a different level of prudence.

Best to travel to Yoga Centers in Bellevue and take workshop with Savitri or find one of us around the planet and learn directly.