Easy Does It
(*I wrote this post almost 5 years ago on Facebook and it still resonates to me today as much as it did in 2011!)
Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of people discovering the joys of yoga. No matter what their intentions are, whether for physical or spiritual exercise or both, I am glad that people are discovering the benefits of a yoga practice. A couple of years ago, I started getting interested in it and have dipped my toes in it every once and a while. However, it was only last year that I started developing a regular practice, going to class 3-4 times a week. Initially, it was very intimidating going to a class where half the people in it can do a shoulder stand without batting an eyelash (no, I still can’t do a shoulder stand). It was also very intimidating when the instructor throws out a pose and you have no idea what it is “An adho mukha what???”.
One important thing that I learned that I want to share with my friends who are just starting out with their practice is when trying hard doesn’t work, try easy. For a long time, I was struggling with my half moon. Keeping my balance with one arm and leg planted on the ground and the other leg and arm extended up in the air while I twist to the side seemed impossible. Then I decided to try the easy way. I grabbed a block and planted my one hand on it instead of the ground. And you know what? It worked! Sure, it was wobbly but I was able to keep the integrity of the pose. Instead of trying hard, try easy. I promise you, you’ll get the same results.
When I do a pose, I always think about ways I can do to make it more comfortable. A slight turn of the head, softening of the shoulder or maybe just remembering to breathe, then all of a sudden, everything falls into place and you settle into your pose. I have to admit that it is harder to do that when you are going from one pose to the other at each breath but it’s ok to slow down. Remember that it is YOUR practice. Not the person in front of you, beside you or even your instructor. It is YOUR practice. Feel like you’re going to throw up from the pace of the class? It’s ok to stop and go to child’s pose or a downward dog and catch your breath. Don’t let your ego stop you from taking a sip of water or going to child’s pose because you’ll lose more than your ego if you decide to push over your limit.
So why yoga? Why not pilates, spinning or kickboxing or go back to doing Filipino martial arts again? I mean, if I need to relieve stress and get physically fit, any of those would do the job, right? Well, yes….and no. As much as I miss doing Kali, Pentjak Silat and Jeet Kune Do, yoga gave me a sense of grounding that I could not get from any of the forms of exercise that I have tried before. Yes, it was cool knowing how to disarm a knife or doing a leg sweep but it didn’t give me the sense of joy and freedom I feel when I settle into a warrior 1. I can appreciate the art and good sense of timing it takes to deflect a kick but it doesn’t compare to the giddiness I feel when I finally figured out how to do a decent chatarunga dandasana. More than anything, yoga made me live in the present. We worry so much about the past and the future that we forget the present. I am reminded of this every time I step on my mat ( be good to yourself and invest on a good mat, btw. Your knees, hands and feet will thank you for it ). Why be depressed about the past when you can’t change it? Why should we be anxious of the future when we don’t know what’s ahead? On my mat, I am reminded that what matters is what I am doing NOW and what I can do to be a better person living in the present.
I sincerely hope you benefit from your practice as much as I benefit from mine. The light in me respects and honors the light in you. Namaste.
Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of people discovering the joys of yoga. No matter what their intentions are, whether for physical or spiritual exercise or both, I am glad that people are discovering the benefits of a yoga practice. A couple of years ago, I started getting interested in it and have dipped my toes in it every once and a while. However, it was only last year that I started developing a regular practice, going to class 3-4 times a week. Initially, it was very intimidating going to a class where half the people in it can do a shoulder stand without batting an eyelash (no, I still can’t do a shoulder stand). It was also very intimidating when the instructor throws out a pose and you have no idea what it is “An adho mukha what???”.
One important thing that I learned that I want to share with my friends who are just starting out with their practice is when trying hard doesn’t work, try easy. For a long time, I was struggling with my half moon. Keeping my balance with one arm and leg planted on the ground and the other leg and arm extended up in the air while I twist to the side seemed impossible. Then I decided to try the easy way. I grabbed a block and planted my one hand on it instead of the ground. And you know what? It worked! Sure, it was wobbly but I was able to keep the integrity of the pose. Instead of trying hard, try easy. I promise you, you’ll get the same results.
When I do a pose, I always think about ways I can do to make it more comfortable. A slight turn of the head, softening of the shoulder or maybe just remembering to breathe, then all of a sudden, everything falls into place and you settle into your pose. I have to admit that it is harder to do that when you are going from one pose to the other at each breath but it’s ok to slow down. Remember that it is YOUR practice. Not the person in front of you, beside you or even your instructor. It is YOUR practice. Feel like you’re going to throw up from the pace of the class? It’s ok to stop and go to child’s pose or a downward dog and catch your breath. Don’t let your ego stop you from taking a sip of water or going to child’s pose because you’ll lose more than your ego if you decide to push over your limit.
So why yoga? Why not pilates, spinning or kickboxing or go back to doing Filipino martial arts again? I mean, if I need to relieve stress and get physically fit, any of those would do the job, right? Well, yes….and no. As much as I miss doing Kali, Pentjak Silat and Jeet Kune Do, yoga gave me a sense of grounding that I could not get from any of the forms of exercise that I have tried before. Yes, it was cool knowing how to disarm a knife or doing a leg sweep but it didn’t give me the sense of joy and freedom I feel when I settle into a warrior 1. I can appreciate the art and good sense of timing it takes to deflect a kick but it doesn’t compare to the giddiness I feel when I finally figured out how to do a decent chatarunga dandasana. More than anything, yoga made me live in the present. We worry so much about the past and the future that we forget the present. I am reminded of this every time I step on my mat ( be good to yourself and invest on a good mat, btw. Your knees, hands and feet will thank you for it ). Why be depressed about the past when you can’t change it? Why should we be anxious of the future when we don’t know what’s ahead? On my mat, I am reminded that what matters is what I am doing NOW and what I can do to be a better person living in the present.
I sincerely hope you benefit from your practice as much as I benefit from mine. The light in me respects and honors the light in you. Namaste.