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Being a Personal Trainer/Fitness Instructor and having dabbled in gymnastics and dance, fitness competitions and figure skating for a number of years I thought I was pretty fit, and pretty flexible, and pretty strong. But I noticed when I started yoga, that things I thought I knew had a funny way of turning into “sh!t I didn’t know that I didn’t know”... Pardon my Francais.
Here are some of the things that Yoga taught me in month 1 of practicing:
1) When I took off my shoes, I wasn’t so good at balancing.
2) My hips have a way of pulling and pushing themselves wherever the easiest place is to “not” have to stretch. Even if that place causes me to overstretch something else.
3) Feeling frustration does not make it any more possible to accomplish something; in fact it makes it harder.
4) Trying to compete with someone else, or the irrational ‘lil voice inside my head, will likely lead to physical injury. At the very least it leads to spiritual injury.
5) Faster is not better.
6) Being still and quiet is not as easy as it sounds.
7) Remembering to breathe should be automatic, but it isn’t.
8) It’s totally possible to be amazing at doing one thing, and then be incapable of doing something very, very similar.
9) Time goes by very slowly when in a deep stretch.
10) The mind wanders, and it is very difficult to rein it in.
And, now, here are some of the things that Yoga has taught me at month 6 of almost daily practice:
1) I didn’t need those shoes, obviously, and now they throw me off balance.
2) My hips are phenomenal things that completely express most of my favourite poses, and if I gently and politely ask them, they will slowly start to give in a bit.
3) Feeling frustration is natural, but it should simply be noted and then let go with a big sigh to make room for other things. It still does nothing to help anything.
4) Competition is great, but is not required on the yoga mat.
5) Speed is very important in a race, but yoga does not have a finish line. If I move slowly, it’s much easier to spot the place and space that needs attention.
6) Being still and quiet is still not as easy as it sounds.
7) Remembering where to breathe in Yoga for me is like remembering when to breathe when singing a very lyrical song. You need to practice the same tune over and over, and then where the breath belongs becomes second nature.
8) Challenging poses are now my favourite poses.
9) When the time feels like it is going the slowest, I use it to maximize how much gratitude I feel for myself, my abilities, and all the good in my life. Then it feels like it flies by.
10) My mind is still on one side, and really rambunctious on the other. If I give the rambunctious side something to do, like say a mantra, the still side can stop for a moment and take a rest.
Through all this time, one other of my favourite things I’ve learned about yoga, is that unlike so many other activities that you cannot really jump into at a later age, you can undertake this practice and make it’s expression beautiful at any age – and any skill level.
Live, Love, Laugh, and Do Yoga...
Namaste.
2 comments:
What a lovely post. Looks like you have learned a lot on your yoga mat in these past six months! Calming the chatter in our minds is a difficult thing to do. I find my ego mind gets in the way all the time and I just need to inform it that it is not the mistress of me!
Thanks for stopping by The Daily Downward Dog!
Thank you so much for your kind comment. That pesky ego is a real bugger... But all good things in time with practice!
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