04/05/2016
Wise words
I teach yoga because it’s the best way I know for learning how to come back to your body — again and again and again.
I really don’t care that much about yoga poses, in and of themselves. As long as your Triangle is safe for you, it’s all good in my opinion. I care about yoga poses because they give us a way to feel what’s happening in our bodies in this moment.
Because research shows that when we’re disconnected from our bodies, we’re at risk for a number of adverse health effects.
Just as importantly, though, we’re also more likely to miss out on our lives — often through the form of forgetting. And in another, yet similar, way, we’re also missing out on a source of inherent wisdom: our body’s own radar and sensitivity systems.
When you don’t have access to information about how you feel, it’s harder to know how to act on your own behalf and make the best decisions for you.
On your yoga mat, learning to connect with your body might look like:
: Tuning in to your teacher’s instructions with extra attention. What *does* your breath feel like right now?
: Getting curious about a particular pose. What was it like for you yesterday vs. today?
: Experimenting with props. What is your experience of a specific pose with a block on high/medium/low?
: Naming how you feel to yourself when you begin your practice, as well as when you end.
: Placing one hand on your heart, or elsewhere on your body, any time you feel your mind drifting to what came before your practice
: Feeling your feet on the ground or bum on the mat/chair, anchoring back into your connection with the earth and the present moment
With this framework, it couldn’t matter less what pose(s) you can or can’t “do.” All that matters is coming back to this moment with curiosity, greeting yourself wherever you are.