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What is the “right” yoga practice for you?
I used to LOVE a good, hard, sweaty, yoga practice! I loved it so much I got my first yoga certification in Buti yoga...hard, dance-inspired, loud music... awesome!
At that point, it was all about the workout for me. My ADHD self could only see the point of doing something if it offered possible fast results and made me hurt... no pain, no gain... if you aren’t sweating and panting you aren’t doing anything... right?
Well...
There are times when I still love a faster, more sweaty, practice... my soul craves variety :)
Harder yoga can have a huge number of wonderful health benefits if your body is ready for it.
But here I want to make a case for the importance of understanding ourselves, where we are including our unique circumstances, body alignment, wellness, and needs, in determining the type of yoga we practice.
In the past, I didn’t realize that I was sometimes working too hard and too fast. I was out of breath too often, and I was tired too often, I hurt a lot... often. I needed something else, something that would bring my body into balance, not out of it.
For me, that was a slower, more gentle, therapeutic/restorative style of yoga. This style gives back so much more strength and energy than it takes away. When I began practicing this style of yoga, I learned how to relax my body and really feel into each and every part of myself, especially the areas of pain... to move with attention, alignment, and breath.
After my first few practices this way I felt much more balanced, less restless, less anxious... less pain. And... I was seeing and feeling areas of my body wake up and strengthen that clearly had been a bit asleep. I was actually a bit sore…but not in pain and seeing gains!
People often think that gentle yoga classes are easy, but in practice, they actually find these gentle classes more difficult because they require the body and the mind to align.
Rarely do we allow ourselves the opportunity to simply “be” in our bodies.
Believe it or not: “being” rather than “doing”, in and of itself, is an accomplishment!
The bottom line.
No matter what, if you're interested in starting (or deepening) your yoga practice, learning alignment, with a more awareness focused style is a great option to grow your practice. You will strengthen your body and as a bonus learn to be more mindful and self-aware, both on and off your mat.
With private yoga sessions I can see where you are, how you move, and we can create the best yoga practice for you!
You can learn more about private yoga here --> https://www.primalsoul.ca/post/feel-comfortable-safe-during-a-private-yoga-session
Peace & hugs
Bobbie xxx
