The Best Yoga Teacher Advice
I have been practicing for about 22 years. This means I have been taught by MANY. I have had some outstanding teachers. I also learned to respect my time and relationship with yoga by leaving classes early where the instructor’s style was not vibing for me. Here are the BEST nuggets that I still think about as I practice:
You are not alone when in solo practice. You are WITH your breath.
This one sounds weird, but it completely transformed my home practice from a “no one will play with me” feel into a sacred time with my breath / energy / life force. It also made me understand how central the breath practice is to the discipline of yoga.
Leave it on the mat.
Sad during practice? Arrived in class pissed off at the world? Going through massive grief? Hit with Impostor Syndrome? Leave it on the mat! Every practice is an opportunity to release energy - be it pain, overstimulation, insecurity, fear or anything else. We are at peace when we live in the moment, so using yoga to shed all the stuff you are carrying worth doing.
It’s not about touching your toes / placing heels on floor / getting into handstand.
It’s about finding the positioning that feels amazing while building your strength / understanding / peace. Your measure of “success” is whether you are able to flow peacefully from pose to pose, while honoring your body’s needs, without forgetting to breathe.
It’s not just about the physical practice (Asana) - there is a lot MORE.
Yoga includes breathwork (Pranayam) and meditation. It also includes other disciplines, like being to service to others. This means that what we know to be yoga in the West, is only part of the equation. You’ll feel good attending a few asanas a week. You’ll feel better if you practice your asanas daily. But if you meditate and work with breath just as regularly, your life will transform powerfully toward inner peace, deeper understanding of our life on this Earth, and endless energy and inspiration.