Do yoga over Christmas with a personalised sequence - book for a private class now! In this Newsletter: - Yoga Practice: Force versus Intensity - Your Feedback on Yogita Yoga appreciated for 2014! - Yogita Yoga Community Event Donations - Christmas shutdown: Get Your Holiday Sequence! - Teaching Yoga? - Inspiring YouTube video Yoga Practice: Force versus Intensity Classical conditioning is deeply ingrained in our psyche and habits. As such, we are often taught that 'more is better' and that there is 'no gain without pain'. In fact, I used to have this attitude when I first started on my yoga journey, having come from an athletic and intellectual background where you push yourself (mentally and physically) until it hurts in an attempt to become faster / stronger / better / more successful. A student recently asked me whether he was 'trying too hard' during his practice and it immediately brought back memories of my own first difficulties on the yogic path: I remember getting regularly frustrated during the yoga class as other students mastered postures that I could only dream of despite working with all my might to get closer to that elusive goal of mastering that perfect back-bend or handstand. It wasn't until my teacher training that I understood the power of letting go and that 'less is often more': I changed my practice from a goal-driven exercise to a cultivation of
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Do yoga over Christmas with a personalised sequence - book for a private class now!
In this Newsletter:
- Yoga Practice: Force versus Intensity
- Your Feedback on Yogita Yoga
appreciated for 2014!
- Yogita Yoga Community Event Donations
- Christmas shutdown: Get Your Holiday
Sequence!
- Teaching Yoga?
- Inspiring YouTube video
Yoga Practice: Force versusIntensity
Classical conditioning is deeply ingrained in our
psyche and habits. As such, we are often
taught that 'more is better' and that there is
'no gain without pain'. In fact, I used to have
this attitude when I first started on my yoga
journey, having come from an athletic and
intellectual background where you push
yourself (mentally and physically) until it hurts
in an attempt to become faster / stronger /
better / more successful.
A student recently asked me whether he was
'trying too hard' during his practice and it
immediately brought back memories of my own
first difficulties on the yogic path: I
remember getting regularly frustrated during
the yoga class as other students mastered
postures that I could only dream of despite working with all my might to get closer to
that elusive goal of mastering that perfect back-bend or handstand. It wasn't until
my teacher training that I understood the power of letting go and that 'less is often
more': I changed my practice from a goal-driven exercise to a cultivation of
mindfulness as I transcended layers of stiffness and old injuries. But once I let go of
the need to achieve, the postures started happening! I understood the power of
breath and I comprehended that practicing with intensity rather than force means
that you only need enough energy to activate the posture - once you are there, you
reside and surrender into the posture.
The day, the student asked me the question, I decided to really point out to the class
the importance of practicing with awareness and compassion and it was amazing to
observe how much deeper each student was able to go by just letting go that tiny bit
and enjoying the moment rather than the outcome :-)
YourFeedback onYogita Yogaappreciated!In the new year,