The new year is often a time for reflection and intention setting - and as we transitioned from 2021 into 2022 I spent some time reflecting on exactly what I want out of my yoga practice. I boiled it down to these 5 things…
1. I want to feel good in my body
This might sound simple, but for me it’s been a bit of a journey.
There was a time in my practice when I was very focused on being as proficient as possible at practising asanas (poses). I pushed, pushed, pushed (or was pushed by teachers!) to ‘get the shapes’ - often not listening to the signals that my body was sending.
Touching my head to my feet in backbends, sticking my leg behind my head…these things assumed an importance that was out of all proportion to the value they brought to my life. Indeed, I often ended my practice in pain and suffered both acute and chronic injuries as a result.
My approach to practice is now very different. I really just want to feel good in my body rather than getting hung up on achieving particular poses.
This means that I tend to work through ‘full range of movement with control’ vs. ‘extreme range with force’ - which allows me to develop both strength and mobility rather than simply pulling myself into abstract shapes that have no intrinsic value.
That’s not to say that we shouldn’t have goals in our practice - these are important and most of us could definitely benefit from working on our flexibility, strength and balance to varying degrees.
But for me these are simply a means to achieve the ultimate goal of feeling confident in my body, with the autonomy to move in the ways that I want to.
2. I want to feel centred and calm
Stress management and anxiety have been challenges for me at various points in my life and my yoga practice helps me to feel more focused, centred and calm so that I’m better able to manage the demands of life that can sometimes feel overwhelming.
I also find that different approaches work best for different states of mind. If I’m feeling anxious or stressed out then slower, grounding movements and breathwork to stimulate parasympathetic rest and digest response usually work best for me.
Conversely if I’m in a ‘low’ mood then I tend to ‘up the pace’ and work with a stronger and more dynamic movement practice…often followed by a seated meditation to provide balance.
The key thing is to meet ourselves where we’re at and apply the practises that help us most in that moment…it’ll be different for each of us, and different at various points in our life.
3. I want to enjoy my practice and have fun
Again it might seem obvious, but if we don’t enjoy something then we’re much less likely to adhere to it over the longer term.
And I have to admit that whilst I always maintained my commitment to practice there were times when it did start to feel like a bit of a chore…grinding, repetitive and somewhat austere.
These days I like to take a much lighter and playful approach to my practice - striking the right balance between repetition (to cultivate skills and appropriate adaptations in the body) and explorative play so that my practice stays fun and enjoyable.
So whilst certain staples of my practice will always remain, I also love exploring different poses (hand balances are a particular favourite!) and trying out new transitions…but not giving myself a hard time if they don’t work for my body.
Not only is this a kinder approach, but being playful also has significant benefits for the brain (the more we learn new skills, the better we get at skill development!).
4. I want my yoga practice to support the other things I love doing
During those very focused (some would say obsessive!) days of practice, I would often sacrifice doing other things I enjoyed for fear that it would have a negative impact on my yoga practice.
I didn’t want to risk ‘tightening up’ my body for fear that I’d become less proficient at executing certain poses (at the time I was labouring under the common misapprehension that building strength would have a negative impact on my flexibility and mobility...whereas the converse is actually true!).
However, I now view my practice as a means of helping me to do the other things I love that provide a sense of fulfilment…whether that be playing sports or simply making sure that I can keep up with my children when we’re climbing trees and playing in the park!
5. I want to feel ‘connected’
This is a slightly more nebulous concept, but an important one.
I find that the grounding effect of my practice helps me to feel more connected to a truer sense of myself, beneath all the busyness and drama of the mind and day-to-day existence.
This capacity to turn inwards and find a sense of stillness is, for me, one of the most powerful benefits of practice (indeed this was one of the original intentions of yoga). It helps me to feel more grounded and steady, and allows me to better navigate the challenges of life as they arise.
So there we have 5 things that I want from my yoga practice. In summary I guess you could say that I want to use my practice to help me live a more fulfilling life, rather than relying on it in isolation to provide that sense of fulfilment by itself.
But what about you - I’d love to hear what you’re looking to get out of your own practice, or what goals you want to achieve this year. And if there’s any way that I can support you on that journey then please do get in touch - I’d be more than happy to help out.