My own practice and its changes

Since returning from India my own yoga practice changed. Although I love Ashtanga yoga immensely I have questioned its philosophy lots., as does everyone who gets hooked. As a fairly active and highly strung person I can understand why I am so drawn to the practice, and when I teach I can see why certain students have made this their practice of choice. Before I went to India I did a 40 hour restorative yoga teaching training. I learned so much from my teacher here, she was extremely knowledgeable in the anatomy of the body and I love the theory of restorative. People in our western world need more rest, but the norm for some of us is to push ourselves to extremes. To feel we are achieving something. Yes its good for our body, but then there is the stress of not achieving something in your regular practice, or the guilt of not getting yourself to your mat. It’s a pure mind game, and yes I understand what Ashtanga is trying to teach, release the attachment to achieving a certain pose, it will come when ready, but you must practice. and make a dedication. This I do believe in, but living life so strictly in such a strict western world, I don’t think works for everyone. For me I like the structure and the measurability, and seeing what can be achieved. However doing restorative I learned to actually give my body what it needs. If it needs invigorating, give yourself a pose or practice which does that, if you need rest, take it, don’t feel bad. In restorative, if your body needs rest, it will absorb the benefits. Before India I had to incorporate a daily restorative practice, and I can’t believe how much I felt the benefits. I had to find about 20 minutes daily to do a practice.  I had to as I was documenting  a daily log , and I’m not perfect, there were some days I missed it, but it was the best thing I could have done. It’s not meditation, as you allow yourself to release any conscious mind, but rest as deeply as you need. I repeated my favorite poses, as they focused on key points. I learned deeper in Ayurveda and learnt more about pitta personalities. I knew I needed to be closed in, poses resembling deep hugs and compression, which funnily enough are things I rarely give. I have never been someone comfortable to hug strangers and when my mind is racing a hug even from a loved one is the last thing I desire.  So here I was taught a lot that these where the poses I desired and craved. I made mental note to absorb more touch from people should they want to give, but this is something I am working on still!

  Going to India and being on my retreat I learnt a lot about meditation. I learnt which styles suited me, and which ones promoted rest, or awakening etc. I fell in love with pranayama as I could really deepen my breath and loved the concentration it required and again even if not a direct meditation it calmed me and just required me to focus my mind on only that and be still for any length of time. Since returning from India I stopped my morning Ashtanga practice, for a few reasons: the summer months at work being busier and me needing to be in work earlier, saving some money in preparation to move I cancelled my membership at my studio, and I wanted to incorporate meditation and pranayama into my daily routine. I would wake, do some practice and then on days which would allow do some cardio such as running or swimming. If I could time it perfectly when the dog was out the house I did some sun salutations before she could jump over me. 

  What this also gave me was opportunity to spend more time with my partner in the morning. We often had a morning drink or breakfast together, or even a conversation was a big deal, as before we wouldn’t see each other until the late hours of the evenings. The mornings were often more relaxed and I felt less stressed in other areas of my life. Being at home in the morning, allowed me to sleep an extra hour, keep the house tidy and just spend some with my family. I moved my yoga practice to the evening. Although not ideal, I felt this was actually a better compliment to my already busy schedule. It was a wind down, and my body often felt good as it was naturally looser. That said I have missed my morning ashtanga routine, but something had to give somewhere. In India I did a practice both at sunrise and sunset, and I often felt more comfortable in the evening. I was actually able to calm my mind more and felt ready for dinner and evening schedule. I noticed in the morning smaller things would annoy me, or distract me. Usually you should keep your practice consistent and many readings say morning is best, but my teachers in India told that pranayama is best done in the morning when the morning is the most fresh, so I will make sure this is always done then. I love cardio work outs in the morning and couldn’t imagine it any other way, so providing my schedule allows I will not feel guilty if I can’t make class in the morning, but be ok that I got there in the evening. Whichever practice I take I will be thankful I got myself on the mat and this way I can practice more of what I preach, be happy with yourself, and congratulate just taking a moment for you.