New and Uneducated

I have been trying to get into yoga for the better half of a year, June will mark my full year and I've just been having.....a hard time. I started because I was taking a class for one credit to graduate from Uni so I wanted to have a little bit of a base before I started in the classroom sessions in the fall. I just didn't want to take the time to be patient and follow a flow via one of my favored youtube yogis. I was kind of just going through the motions of each pose but I wasn't engaging my core or muscles which....I wasn't even sure I was supposed to be doing that until about mid February when I decided to give Yoga a try again. I fell off of it for a few months, except for some well spaced 10 minute sessions here and there but I've recently jumped back on trying to step on my mat a little bit everyday because I'm starting to enjoy the nice stretch I get from it. I really struggle with being present in the moment. I feel myself wanting to rush through it. I also still struggle with "activating" all the different parts of my inner core while maintaining a fluid breathing pattern. Is there any tips for these struggles? I'd love some guidance to overcome them!

There is only one tip to your struggle is to stop struggling.

Yoga is not a struggle, you should enjoy every single change that yoga induces within you. It is not a destination but it is a beautiful journey. Don't rush or try to reach to the target. Just practice and gradually improve yourself. This change of mindset with also help you to be "present in the moment".

1 Like

That makes perfect sense, thank you! I think what makes me struggle so much is the fact that I play yoga flow videos on youtube to make kind of a "in home yoga class". When I practice on my own without a video playing I always enjoy my practice even more. Another thing I'm foggy about is what my core and muscles should be doing internally. Different people say to "firm up" your body during yoga and ignite your core, I just assume that's a constant thing even through transitions or is that something I do once I reach my pose and simply support myself through transitions without "firming" myself up?

People use these words to market yoga. People who are watching videos actually don't feel anything when they watch and practice.

Many people even don't understand the real meaning of CORE. I give you few more words like CHAKRAS, ENERGY, THIRD EYE, HEART, SOUL, MEDITATION etc.

I don't mean to say that these things don't exist. But person in the video and practitioner both don't know about them and have never experienced.

Simplicity and total natural surrender can make you feel everything when you are ready.

You need to simply practice with full mindfulness without confining it within specific words or feelings .Your experience of yoga will always be unique.

You have taught me everything I've been trying to figure out since I first started practicing yoga! I truly appreciate it! However, I knew about the chakras (I have recently over the past few weeks started working on them through meditation and I'm touching the surface with yoga flows) but I didn't know they were connected to the "strengthening of the core" that yoga instructors talk about. Thank you!

Chakra realization is byproduct of stability of body and mind. In this case mind plays more important role than the body.

A person who is ill and on the bed for ages can also sense chakra if mind is stable and awareness is super high.

People create façade around them and they interpret muscle sensation as chakra. That is what I have been trying to say that people holding rope in hand thinking they found snake.

All subtle experiences of yoga come with total development of awareness.

1 Like