How to do yoga!
What an egocentric title - and no less, from someone who's made money writing grisly slasher films (see my earlier post about that here).
But I think I do think I have a good nugget of wisdom here.
I began yoga around 2012, and have shuttled through all sorts of practices - power vinyasa, Bikram hot yoga, and several other schools of asana philosophy. (Asana, if you don't know, are the poses).
Sometimes it can make your head spin deciding which practice is best for you. How do you know if you're doing the right yoga for you...
...or at least, how do you begin to answer that question?
And if you're looking to begin yoga...
...where do you even start?
I went back to what asana was originally used for thousands of years ago, which was to simply prepare the body for a comfortable seat for meditation.
If you are overwhelmed by the cornucopia of yoga practices out there today in the modern world, just ask yourself if the exercise you are getting from that yoga class is preparing your body to sit down to meditate with a balanced, straight spine.
Don't even get me started about how asana is only one of the eight limbs of yoga!
OMG! This is SUCH an AMAZING post! Thank you for sharing! I gave you a vote!!
I wholeheartedly agree! Yoga is not about how bendy you can get! It's ultimately about healing, and these days so many people end up with "yoga injuries" ... in my opinion, someone is totally missing the point of yoga, if they're taxing their body to the point of injury!
But I want to get bendy too 😭😂
Haha, you will get more bendy with consistent practice! Just don't make that the ultimate goal and push your body too hard. Breathe deep, go slow and keep moving with mindfulness and proper alignment! And remember your feed, keep your energy grounded and connected to the earth. With practice, you'll be bendier 😚
I know I keep pushing Yoga With Adriene on youtube, but I have learned so much from her videos. She was the first teacher I heard talk about 'Find What Feels Good' instead of forcing your body into the fullest expression of the asanas. In her latest 30 day series, she has also taught me to 'claw into my fingers' in downward dog to avoid wrist injury, which has been very helpful.
Thanks for the tip! I've been giving my dad some yoga routines and he has a wrist injury in the past... I'll look into this clawing the fingers technique!
Yes! Activating the hands and feet are so key in every shape (that's what we call asana in my training). Pushing the bases of fingers and pulling the finger stems long to fully enliven the hands, will support any shape and bring more presence to the body.
@originalworks
Thanks for the post =] I have been meditating for so many years and always flirt with yoga but I can never fully commit to it. I have terrible posture and I'm pretty stiff and always feel yoga's difficult for me but I will persist! Thanks for the inspiration! :D
Glad to inspire you! Incorporating an easier 15 or 20 minute self-designed asana practice has really been great for me. I use a block to sit on while meditating, and am still working on my posture, too!
Great post :) also yoga practicant