How is your yoga practice going?
When I ask this question, I usually know what kind of answer I’m going to hear.
If you’re like most students, the response is something like…could be better, could be more regular, I need to do it more often…
If this is you, you are not alone. My teacher Baba Hari Dass, who started yoga when he was eight years old, was asked how he managed to keep his yoga practice up on a regular basis. He said, “I have my discipline, and I stick to it as best I can.”
Another time he was asked by a student for help with motivation to get out of bed for yoga practice and his answer was “kick yourself”.
Getting to the mat is sometimes the hardest thing in the world. Many other demands on our time and energy keep us diverted. If we pause for a few breaths to check in, we may hear the message, go, rest, sit, meditate, or move this body and pay attention. This is why getting to the mat is already a victory. Even if you’re there for only five minutes lying on the floor, that’s five minutes more for You.
One wise student said “I’ve often regretted not doing my practice, but I’ve never had a practice I regretted doing”.
You know it’s going to benefit you. That’s not the issue. If you think you “should” be doing it, out of obligation or guilt, some resistance is bound to come up. Can you listen in and take inspired action? Can you make it fun? Play? Even after several years of regular practice, I sometimes find myself avoiding getting to my mat. When that happens, I think to myself, hmm, what’s going on here? That self-inquiry is in itself is already a type of yoga practice called svadhyaya. Being present to what is arising and being curious about it.
If there is a part of you looking for objective proof, here is a study that looked at a group of studies on yoga and back pain. What they concluded was:
“Compared with passive control, yoga was associated with short-term improvements in pain intensity, pain-related disability, mental health, and physical functioning. Except for mental health, all benefits were sustained long-term.” link to study
In this case, passive control was typically chiropractic treatments. This is not to say you need to fire your chiropractor, it’s to say that regular conscious movement is important and has positive effects. I used to joke that I needed to marry a chiropractor so we could travel together and I’d stay pain free. However, it doesn’t work like that. Manual adjustments can and do help reset bones that are out of alignment, however, we need to work with the muscles that are pulling those bones out of alignment on a regular basis in order to reduce that pattern. And this includes a regular active movement practice such as yoga. With scoliosis in particular I find that the less I move, the more my physical problems compound. The more I practice yoga, the less I need to visit health practitioners.
You already know this because you’ve felt the benefits firsthand. The proof is in the pudding. Practice makes progress. Thinking about it, reading about it, talking about it, watching others do it, none of these will yield many benefits unless you get on your mat and put your learning into action.
As my teacher’s teacher said to him, “I can cook for you but I can’t eat for you.”
Teachers can inspire and guide us and ultimately. it’s up to us to take the regular actions that support our well-being. Self-care of body, mind and spirit is not a luxury. It’s not about pampering. This is essential health care in a rapidly changing world. Taking the time to tune in, whether for your own practice or in a class, is a kind of rebellion these days. And it is precious. What we are so busy looking for outwards (i.e. affirmation, appreciation, validation) is to be found inwards. If we only took the time to slow down and listen.
Find peace at your centre. Your inner teacher, inner wisdom or wise self is there for you.
Your classmates and teachers are also here to support you.
All you have to do is show up.
To explore how you can be supported in your yoga practice, book a complimentary call with me here.
