do your own thing

Block used in Bound Half Moon Pose

If you've practiced yoga before, you've surely heard a teacher encourage you to modify certain postures. Drop your knees here, use a block there and don't be afraid to look different. Yet so many students would rather huff and puff their way through an uncomfortable pose than look like a wuss or use a dreaded prop. Modifying seems to have such a terrible stigma!

We know that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to their mind and body. There is no one universal diet, job, food, activity or music that is perfect for everyone and the same is true for yoga practice. Why on earth should all those different bodies look the same in any one posture? How many students are fighting through certain poses because he or she thinks that it should look a certain way or that modifying means "not good enough?" 

The real question comes down to this: do you want to practice yoga or do you want to look like you're "good at" yoga? The truth hurts. Literally. 

As a yoga practitioner and as an instructor, I ADORE seeing yogis do their own thing. It's very cool to notice someone binding a pose I wouldn't have thought to bind or heading back to Child's Pose because it feels good. But I think I die a little inside each time I see someone slamming through 12 mangled chaturangas during a sun salutation. *Note: there is a glaring and perceptible difference between having a fast-paced or spirited practice and a mindless, ego-driven practice.

When you're deeply connected to your practice, it's beautiful, quiet and obvious. Beautiful because it's creative, quiet because it's humble and obvious because it's so personal. You set a tone for those around you because you're so openly there for yourself and you're not afraid. When someone is practicing with the intention to look a certain way, it's sad because they're missing out and painfully conspicuous because they're not in control of their mind/ego. 

Spread the word: modifying is the real joy of yoga practice. Adapting each pose to make it your own means you're actually paying attention to yourself. Yoga injuries wouldn't exist in a world full of yoga blocks and rests in Child's Pose. Ever wonder how a yogi who's so "in shape" can end up with back problems, torn ligaments or knee replacements years later? Because something was wrong and they never sincerely listened. Get quiet. Know when to deepen, back off or completely stop. Pay attention to your body, your intuition, your instructors and your mind and you will learn something valuable from all of them.

#keepyogacozy

yoga selfies: to share, or not to share?

Back in July, you may have seen the New York Times article called, "Yoga Practitioners Gaze at Their Inner Selfies."Author Kayleen Shaffer examined the juxtaposition of vanity and yoga and created quite a stir among supporters and haters alike. Though nobody wants to admit it, most selfies are about vanity; but with yoga, there's another dynamic: yoga isn't supposed to be about the shape of the poses. (If it were, it would be a competition that pre-teen gymnasts would win.) If it's so much about controlling the mind, breath and ego, are we trivializing the practice by snapping photos of ourselves in awesome poses? Or are we just celebrating this beautiful practice? In a world where many yogis also enjoy photography and iPhone apps, how do we strike a balance?

As an instructor, I have a love/hate relationship with selfie yoga photos. I love the inspiration that we can glean from others photos; getting ideas for our practice or new friends for support is great. But what I dislike is the way that yoga is represented in many of these photos. Is it making yoga feel too exclusive or intimidating? Are we portraying an art form or just snapping crappy photos to show-off? Is some of it over-sexualized? (That's hilariously rhetorical.) 

Whether you're a beginner or have been mindfully practicing yoga for years, we all need to keep our wide, diverse audience in mind; they're developing opinions about yoga, creating new goals or trying new poses. Though it's up to any practitioner to monitor their body in any pose, we (as selfie-posters) still have a responsibility to express our passion in a fitting way, not always a flawless, unrealistic reality. Balance your humdinger photos with peaceful, basic asanas.

Once you've come to grips with the idea of even sharing a yoga self-portrait, consider the Instagram "yoga challenges." Each day, the host of the challenge shares a pose for followers to mimic and share their versions. Often, winners are chosen at the end. (Sometimes, the word 'challenge' is just an unimaginative synonym for the word, 'competition.') Though these can be a great way to get yogis motivated for daily practice, they also can be a perfect way to encourage mindless, ego-driven practice....a recipe for disaster and injury.

That all being said, you'll find lots of yoga photos on my iPhone, here on the blog and some on my Instagram feed, even though I still dislike the idea of selfies. This blogger explained it well:

"Yes, there are some beautiful people performing near perfect poses, but more often than not, these are people who love yoga and want to share their passion. There are teachers who now have a new outlet to teach and can break down a pose in both words and photos. Photography is also a very powerful tool. It allows me to see myself in a pose, to pinpoint the areas that I need to work on and, most importantly, to document progress."

Yoga selfies are a great way to show steps-by-step instruction

I think it's pretty cool that yogis all around the world can unite and share interesting poses in unique places or artful ways. It's fascinating to see all the different people and it's equally fascinating to catch tiny glimpses of my own practice that I never get to see. I can hang on to a moment of how I felt in these poses...free, open, balanced or strong. And other yogis on Instagram have inspired my practice or given me ideas for teaching. What do non-yogis think of these photos? I don't know. But yoga photographer Robert Sturman says, in his own words, "I often think of Rumi: 'I Can't stop pointing to the beauty.' That feels right to me." It's okay that yoga is inherently beautiful.

If you're not sure about it or you've never tried it, maybe download a timer app and try your own yoga selfie or two. You certainly don't need to share or post any of the photos, but it's exciting to see such simple beauty through yourself in any yoga posture. If you're worried about doing the pose "wrong" or not looking good enough, it's also an excellent platform to step out of your comfort zone. :) What are your thoughts?

Basic Yoga for Stiff Hips & Shoulders

Give yourself just 13 minutes to work through my new hip and shoulder opening sequence. I promise you won't regret it. :)

Namaste!

yoga vs. sports

Let me perch on my little soap box for just a moment to clarify that yoga never was and is still not a sport. By definition, a sport is "a competitive physical activity," but the entire expression of yoga practice rejects that premise. Widely known and accepted basics of yoga are that it is non-competitive and that the practitioner learns to connect more deeply with his or her body and mind. Through yoga asana practice, we discover things about ourselves; our strengths and weaknesses manifest on our mat and we work toward learning more about strengthening our bodies and sharpening our minds. Besides obviously not rivaling our neighboring yogis, we're not even meant to fight ourselves! In my humble opinion, our culture already struggles with this concept and could use more competition-free activities.

There has been a lot of controversy swirling around competitive yoga lately, as national bonified yoga competitions are popping up everywhere. If you haven't heard about it, since early 2012, groups have even been lobbying for yoga to be included in the 2016 Olympic games:

"Each Olympic-class yogi would have three minutes to do seven poses, five of which are mandatory (standing head-to-knee pose, standing bow-pulling pose, bow pose, rabbit pose, and stretching pose). The final two poses are yogi's choice. The judges would rate the contestants on their strength, flexibility, timing, and breathing."

- Article from The Week.com

Photo credit: Andy Jacobsohn - Avanna Brown in Eka Pada Sirsasana (Foot-behind-the-Head Pose)

Ayanna Brown - National Yoga Asana Championship.

Namely, Rajashree Choudhury (wife of Bikram Choudhury, founder of the competitive Bikram Yoga form of hot yoga) is one of the biggest supporters of the movement. She says that,"the competitions can be a way to interest people in yoga who might be put off by the spiritual aspect, by showing them the athletic aspect." Okay...so people would not be put off by viewing terrifying and widely unattainable contortions? Certain yoga poses take years to work toward; strength, flexibility and balance cannot be forced, so wouldn't emphasizing a "perfect yoga posture" in an Olympic event be dangerous for admiring fans?

Step into most yoga studios today and you will often hear encouraging little reminders to "focus on your own practice" or to "leave your ego at the door." The atmosphere of calm that many yoga studios strive to achieve is what makes yoga stand apart from any other physical activity. Many fear that this new type of competition would pervert western yoga into an ego-driven fad full of elite athletes. In the United States, yoga is already a booming business offering a variety of yoga styles that appeal to many different types of people. It's great that it's becoming so accessible and comfortable, but if western yoga keeps heading down this path, where will it end up?

I am most certainly not championing purist, perfect or elitist yoga in any way and I'm not trying to discourage anyone who solely enjoys yoga for the physical aspect. The mental and spiritual journey that one might discover through yoga is personal and (just as with physical postures) it should not be forced. The bottom line here is that regardless of one's personal goals and interests, yoga is meant to be non-competitive. Alienating those roots will change yoga practice into something it's not: a sport. How can that core value be ignored to justify induction into the Olympic games? Is this really a good way to expose yoga to the masses or is would it be doing more harm than good?

Personally, if yoga does end up in the Olympics in 2016, I won't be watching it. I'd rather be on my own mat or teaching yoga with goals of acceptance, self-awareness and modesty. What do you think about all of this? If you'd like to continue this dialogue, please feel free to comment below. I'd love to hear what others think, yogis or not!

Namaste!

fight your mind, fight your body

Working toward a new yoga posture is challenging, but it's much more than physically challenging. You may possess the physical ability to achieve a pose, but if you're not getting there, you could be your own worst enemy. 

Think of it this way: Say I am trying to reach around into a bind. I've done this 1,000 times before, but today, I'm just having trouble staying present in my practice. I've had a bad day at work, I'm hungry and distracted, my breath is weak and I'm getting irritated thinking, "Why can't I reach this?"  The more I try to force it, the farther I am from achieving anything, even if I make the stupid bind. If a pose isn't approached from a calm and centered frame- of-mind, it doesn't matter if you're physically able or not.

King Pigeon is a beautiful, deeply freeing pose if the practitioner is cautious and well-prepared.

If you do have a specific asana goal that you are struggling with, it might be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

Why am I working toward this next pose? Perhaps the most important question of all, analyze why this is important to you. Are your motives really pure? Don't allow ego to cloud your judgement as to what you're ready for. At the same time, never let your asana challenges define your self-worth.

Healthy motives behind asana goals might include a physical need for deeper muscle release, a recommendation by your teacher, or a new challenge for your meditative state. Remember, the specific translation of the word "asana" translates to "pose you can hold with ease."

In other words, you will never fight your way into a correct yoga posture. If you're fighting with your body, you're already fighting with your mind.

What poses should I master first? Know your stuff before attempting any new pose. Ask your yoga teacher or mentor what poses you can practice to work up to a goal. More harm than good can come from being ill-prepared for a new pose. 

What might be holding me back? Physical obstacles might be more obvious, especially if you're working with a teacher. But what about emotional obstacles? Could it be fear? Fear of failure or fear of a bloody nose in your first Crow? Whatever it is, you'll need to address it head-on before you can get any further (no pun intended). Yes, you might still feel some fear as you work on your Crow, but with a pillow in front of your face and confidence in your arm strength, you can succeed.

Am I being patient? Maybe one of the hardest questions to ask yourself: is it possible that you're rushing into an exciting new pose? Whether it's been 2 months or 2 years, being calm and present in each practice will go a long way in helping you to accept your progress and understand your body.

 

What if I really can't do it? Everyone is built differently. It's not a cop-out to acknowledge your limitations. Your skeleton, ligaments, muscles and joints are unique to you. Past injuries or predispositions may mean that certain poses may never come without modifications. And that's perfectly okay. Afterall, if you can breathe, you can practice yoga.

The freedom and energy that you feel when you achieve a new pose for the right reasons does not even compare to the muscular stretch you might get from just being in a pose.

Stay wise, yogiis!


Photo courtesy & copyright of Little Story Studio