Asana: The Same Rules Don't Always Apply
yogi bijan
Letting go of feelings of competition, judgement and expectation. Listening to the body, feeling and breathing. The asana is about the physical sensation, not the visual display.
One of my favorite teachers would often remind me that "there is never a never and never an always." His point was that yoga isn't something mean to be applied to everyone in the same way at the same time. Like when we re- read a book and feel like we are reading it for the first time. We find that the words land differently when we are at a different place in our lives .
The same applies to yoga. During one of my Sunday morning Yogafit trainings, we started a long day of study with a short, relaxation asana sequence. The practice was lovely but it was completely inappropriate for the time of day. When I was finished with the relaxing practice, I felt ready to take a nap, not dive into a day of learning yoga philosophy and asana theory!
Lesson learned -- meet yourself where you are. It's important to practice yoga for where you are in life this month, this week, this day, this moment. It's not a one-size-fits-all sort of thing. So before you step onto your mat, ask yourself:
- Where am I in my life? Do you need to maintain the practice that you had in your 20s into your 30s and 40s? I suggest going with how your body feels rather than what your ego wants. If you're a busy mom, you may have to go with a shorter practice. If you're a traveling vacationer, you may have to adjust your practice to fit in with your travel schedule.
- Where am I in my day? As I learned, it's not too wise to do a relaxing practice that lengthens the breath first thing in the morning. Same goes with evening practices -- stay away from anything that's too energizing without a relaxing closure.
- Where am I geographically? If you're practicing in a high elevation location, you might want to choose a gentler form or yoga before working up to a vinyasa style.
- Where am I in terms of capability? If you have an injury, you may want to modify your practice or turn to something gentler like mediative sitting and/or restorative yoga.
Forcing yourself to do the same practice regardless of your age, what's happening in your body, your mind and your emotions, what you did prior to the practice and what you're going to do after your practice might harm rather than help you. I believe that taking these things into account isn't only smart yoga but it's compassionate yoga.
Be kind to yourself. The beginning of the practice of ahimsa.
Namaste!
Santokh
