I saw an image recently of a big bowl of fresh fruits and vegetables, which had the following caption:
You Are What You Eat
So Don’t Be Fast, Cheap, Easy, or Fake
Pretty wise advice that gets right to the point in a clever way, and it got me thinking: The same thing applies when we step onto our yoga mats!
You Are What You Yoga
So slow down, don’t cheat yourself, take it easy, and stand in your truth.
Don’t be fast. You have the rest of your day to ride in the fast lane. Why not let the time you spend practicing yoga be all about decelerating? Slow down; take your time on your mat. The slower your breath, the deeper your practice. Don’t be in a rush to get into the poses. Instead, take the time to set up proper alignment first. Try stopping after each sun salutation to take a few breaths and savor it rather than rushing off to the next one.
Don’t be cheap. Be generous. Be generous with your breath and your energy, sharing it with the other people you practice with if you go to a yoga class. If you are practicing at home, don’t skip the time for savasana. Don’t cheat yourself out of a minute on your yoga mat by letting your thoughts drift to your to-do list. Stay present and grounded. Don’t be cheap in rewarding yourself; give yourself the gift of the time to reconnect with your spirit, fully present.
Don’t be easy. B.K.S. Iyengar would say that once you think you know everything there is to know about a yoga pose, that is when you stop practicing yoga. I think what he was trying to teach is don’t take the easy road. Always find new ways to challenge yourself on the yoga mat, new ways to explore the pose, to notice your body and your breath, to quiet your mind. I have done thousands of downward dogs, to the point where this pose should be easy, or even boring, but I’ll never get tired of the thrill of getting my heels a little closer to the floor, marveling at how far I’ve come on my yoga journey.
Do not aim low; you will miss the mark. Aim high, and you will be on a threshold of bliss.”
―B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life
Don’t be fake. Your yoga practice should belong to you, not the person next to you. Stop trying to stack up to some picture you have in your mind of what a flexible yogi should look like. Don’t worry if you can’t touch your toes, and please don’t try to force yourself into doing so! Honor yourself. Stand tall in your truth. And be ok with modifying a pose to fit your body, or taking a resting pose when you need to take a break.
You are what you yoga, so slow down, be generous, keep growing on your journey, and be true to yourself.
——————–
Editor’s note: This is another amazing guest post from Maria Santoferraro, E-RYT. Maria is first and foremost a student of yoga and hails from the beautiful shores of Lake Erie, Ohio. A former marketing executive with a ‘Crackberry’ addiction, she now enjoys spending her time teaching yoga on the beach, leading “I Am Love” yoga retreats around the world, creating cool yoga workshops and meditation videos for HangTen Meditation. Go from stressed out to blissed out on her blog The Daily Downward Dog, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Join Maria this coming April for Beach Yoga Bliss in Aruba, a yoga, meditation, and SUPYoga retreat on Eagle Beach at Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa or her I Am Love Yoga Retreat in Santorini, Greece.
Thank you for the encouragement! I’ll def check out your sight!
Autonomy
of ones’ spiritual inner self is imperative to realize true freedom. New
meditations on ones’ inner being is the way to inner peace, I realized in the
depths of my loneliness during my tribulations.Upon realizing the true self, we express the natural genius and
open our minds to feel the flow of life energy as it courses through us. By experiencing
the life form in its true creative genius we connect to our body, mind and
spirit as it was meant to be. The learning from our inner experience in
meditation allows us to know who we are. In meditation, we reevaluate life and
are inspire ourselves to experience more fully our best selves.
– Kathleen Suneja
http://iamthechangeiseek.org/
So good to remember all these points! thank you!
ZenNomad I know, as a beginner it’s all good for me to remember and use!
Very
well said, I agree on your line. You know earlier I also kept myself fit with
dieting and eating only fruits. But now I do
<a
href=”https://grokker.com/yoga/local/san-jose-ca/54cbfaa1e299be335b116fff”>San
Jose Yoga</a> and I eat a lot of
food too, still I am very fit and fine. Thanks to my friend who recommended
me.
Have you heard about the corporation Yogaglo and their intimidation tactics? They once tried to patent filming yoga classes to the disappointment of 14,000 people in the yoga community, and now they are STILL up to no good! They continue to attack small companies who talk about yoga OR fitness information with “glo” or “glow” in their name, excluding others from sharing this spiritual and cultural practice while suppressing free-speech and free-use! Sign the new petition against Yogaglo’s business tactics here: https://www.change.org/p/yogaglo-derik-mills-yogaglo-stop-suppressing-free-speech-and-free-use-of-yoga-fitness-information
Very nice post. It is not possible to know all yoga poses by your own. If you are beginner, you need a guidance. To learn yoga asanas, checkout Unbooked Appointments and hire a yoga instructor: http://goo.gl/TNQoiO
I loved your article. Thanks for sharing.
For a lot a people Yoga is a exercise and for others it’s a way of living… I thinks it’s both things. Yoga can make you connect not only with yourself, your inner you… But with everything around you. It makes you strong (that’s why it’s considered an exercise), focused and mentally stable.
Of course it’s a huge journey and It can make you happy and strong for what’s ahead. I just love what Yoga can do for you.
I just found a site by Jan Zands that talks about getting into shape with a 5 key plan… I’m sure you would love it…
Check it out and tell me what you think.