Hi Yoga Folks - did some yoga many year’s ago but have been inspired to take it up again as a lunchtime session is starting in my office for the next 10 weeks. Any tips on how I can stay the course - I’m 49 and in reasonable shape but want to much fitter and healthier and hopefully saner to boot !
Best regards
Ian
Welcome, Ian. It is great to have you join the group here. Thank you for introducing yourself.
A tip to stay on course? I will share something that I use myself, and share with my Yoga therapy clients: [I]Do your practice everyday, but first, know yourself well so that you know what your practice is.[/I]
What does this mean for all of us?
[ol]
[li] Begin by taking a look at your level of self-effort. Take an [I]honest[/I] look at yourself, which means most people will find themselves needing to give themselves [I]more[/I] credit for their day-to-day accomplishments, rather than less. The point in knowing yourself in this way is so on days you need rest as your Yoga practice, you will take your rest, and feel all the benefits of your rest. On days when you need more self-effort to get yourself to the Yoga class, you will know that you need to offer yourself a supportive push.[/li][li]If you are just getting back into the physical practice of Yoga, there will likely be some amount of focus by your mind to keep the pace of the class, to “do the posture properly,” to evaluate what you are seeing others in the class doing and to adapt yourself to what your mind is “seeing.” As often as you can, shift your awareness and focus to what you [I]are feeling[/I] in your body during the postures, and other aspects of practice being offered to you in your class. It will likely be a dance of mind-in-and-mind-out and this is perfectly appropriate for classes where you are being lead by a teacher outside yourself. What to notice and look for when you’re looking inward? How you are breathing? What allows your breath to become full and easy and what limits your breath? With small, internal shifts of our bodies, can we bring more joyfulness and more steadiness to the postures. Ask your body, quite directly, what would bring it more steadiness and comfort to it.[/li][li]Know when your Yoga practice is not on the mat, but rather it is a easy walk, time shared with your family, a much needed nap, an hour of silence, whatever it may be. And this where 1. and 2. come into practice: You need to know yourself, and the details of your level of commitment and self-effort. You also need to know what brings you more steadiness and comfort so whether you are in your class, or doing your Yoga of the day, that you are making your walk, your postures and your time with your family into your Yoga practice. Make the same adjustments you make for yourself in your classes: set enough time aside to complete your practice without being rushed, make yourself comfortable. Just as when you are your mat, watch for what allows your breath to be full and easy and follow this. Anything that shortens the breath, or causes physical or mental strain, allow to become something you may explore again in the future, or not. Remember, strain will feel quite differently from solid self-effort. In the pose, strain is an unsteady effort and your breath will lessen, while solid effort will be steady and you feel yourself continuing to open to your effort and toward your goal. If you don’t have an experience of this in your physical body, then think to when this has been evident in other aspects of your life.[/li][/ol]
These are tips that I know have personal helped me, and my clients be more fit, healthy and “sane,” also more joyful and in relationship with themselves.
Wishing you all the best,
Nichole