Yoga Inspiration: Balancing Between STRUCTURE and flexibility

While I was doing a short morning yoga practice this morning, I found myself once again deviating from what the instructor told me to do. By nature, I’m extraordinarily obedient so if I don’t follow the sequence fully I feel guilty. I don’t know if any other yoga practitioners who read this have felt the same way, but it’s been a battle for me for the last few years.

This morning a thought came to mind that made me stop and ponder. Perhaps I was at a level in my yoga practice where I had a strong enough foundation to be flexible with how I followed along with instructor-led practices. Then another sobering thought came in succession. How did I get here?

Building a foundation in any field is difficult. It’s repetitive, painful at times, and requires a lot of personal dedication. It’s rare to have time to see myself progress far enough to see enough progress in a field to gain autonomy.

I feel incredibly grateful to all the instructors I’ve had in my and my past self’s stubborn dedication to building a strong yoga practice. I don’t need constant supervision or detailed instructions when I practice yoga. This means I can move beyond the physical practice and focus on strengthening myself on deeper levels.

eight limbs of yoga

I trained in Ashtanga yoga and have been trying faithfully to develop a physical, daily practice. This practice has shifted quite a bit over the years, depending on my work life and the time of year. All in all, it’s encouraging to see how I’ve grown these past ten years.

If you are currently starting yoga or feel discouraged, wondering if you’re getting anywhere in your practice there are moments like I had today where the clouds seem to open and say, “Look how much stronger you’ve become.”

Realizing this about myself, I finally understand how strength and flexibility work together on a physical and spiritual level. In the Book of Mormon, a prophet wisely said,

6 Now ye may suppose that this is ^afoolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by ^bsmall and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

-Alma 37:6, The Book of Mormon

I look forward to reading this in a few years and seeing how much more I’ve grown in my soul. Have a wonderful New Years Weekend!

Yoga Inspiration: Focus On Where You Are

Watercolor by Benjavisa Ruangvaree Dreamstime.com

Today as I did my morning yoga practice, reflecting on the big changes and decisions I’ve been facing, I wondered where it is I need to go. For the past year, I’ve speculated this. Other smaller questions like “What career should I pursue?” or “What talents are worth exploring?” have also frequented my mind.

Because one of my greatest desires is to live in the way I should, I often overthink daily choices and lifelong decisions. I’ve talked before on accepting and cultivating my wants. (See Yoga Inspiration: Day 3, What do you want to do?). But what if I don’t fully understand how these wants play into my daily life?

Earlier today, it occurred to me I may be looking at it the wrong way. There is a saying by Buddha which encompasses how I felt.

It is somewhat similar to a quote from Dreamworks Kung Fu Panda (2009). Oogway, after hearing the character Po frustratingly list all the ways he failed at, and would probably fail later. He wanted to quit, and slip back into his discontented former life. After listening for awhile, Oogway tells him, “

You are too focused on what was and what will be. There is a saying, ‘Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.’

What is there in the present which holds answers for tomorrow? LIVING. When I think of the many times in my life I made important decisions, it was never when I was anxiously searching for it. Revelation came in the small quiet present moments.

If you don’t know where to go, focus on where you are. I feel we find where we need to go by seeing where we are now, and living the moments God presents us through daily life.

Thank you for reading! Happy day to you.

Yoga Inspiration: How do you honor your body?

Yoga Care via Behance

For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with liking my body. It’s hard when one’s body type doesn’t fit the current model of societal beauty. There have been so many moments of shame and guilt, both with how I eat and how I exercise. Several years ago, though, a miracle happened. I lost a lot of weight because of an unknown illness. When sitting and reflecting on my good fortune, these words sprang in my mind: “I’ve given you what you’ve always wanted. What will you do now?”

Since then, I’ve made key changes in how I treat myself.

First, I haven’t weighed myself for three years. I associate my worth with my weight and that is not healthy.

Second, I don’t calorie count. I become obsessed and actually gain weight.

Third, one of my goals is to practice mindful eating. Our bodies know what they need better than we do.

Fourth, I took my yoga teacher training.

.If there is one thing I’ve learned from practicing yoga daily, it is how to accept myself for who I am in the moment. Does this mean I always succeed? No, but the intention is there. True mental healing concerning our body image comes when we stop punishing our bodies for simply being.

Common ways we punish our bodies are overeating, not eating, harmful exercise, harsh language, and even physically harming ourselves.

It is definitely not easy to treat ourselves well all the time because our bodies are constantly changing. So the question I ask myself is, “Will I accept myself for the way I am right now?” This acceptance means we find the balance between loving our current selves and embracing changes that come by challenging our limitations to embrace our innate abilities.

This means we don’t reprimand ourselves for not being able to fully express poses during our practice.

It means we actively choose to become stronger by practicing harder poses.

It also means honoring our bodies when they reach their limit.

Above all, it means we mindfully tune in to our bodies to know what they need.

Thank you for reading! I hope this helped you! May we all continue forward on this journey of discovering and loving our true, divine selves.