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OPEN MIND OPEN BODY Ideas for Your Yoga Practice |
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A
Practice for Change in the New Year
It’s time for New Year’s Resolutions – those passionate, determined,
optimistic, and sometimes desperate pledges we make to change ourselves.
How do we get from where we are to where we want to be, without giving up
in frustration? Consider skipping the resolutions this year. In their
place, make room for a yoga practice that truly prepares you to change
your life. Open
to Possibility Change
is unknown, and we often cling to old habits because they feel safe. Yet
yoga teaches us that change is constant. What first appears to be
stillness and constancy in a yoga pose reveals itself to be always
shifting, always transforming. The same is true for each of us – while
our lives and personalities may seem stable and unchanging, we are
actually always unfolding. Yoga teaches us to welcome the inevitability of
change, to be curious about where our practice is leading us. When we are
open to change, we are better prepared to direct change intentionally. A
simple breathing exercise can help you find ease with the constant rhythm
and change of life. In a comfortable seated pose, close your eyes and draw
your attention to your breath. Observe the breath as it enters and exits
the body. Rest your hands on your belly, and notice the movement of the
breath. On each exhale, pull the belly in and press the breath out
completely. Relax the belly on each inhale, and notice how the next breath
rushes in. By letting go of the old, you create room for the new. Let go
of what you don’t need, and create space for change in your life. Expand
Your Awareness Intentional
change requires self-awareness. We spend much of our time listening to
others, seeking advice, and looking outside ourselves for insight. Yoga
teaches us to develop our own insight through careful and compassionate
observation. By giving us the opportunity to slow down, yoga helps us
recognize what is personally important. A good yoga practice can stir you
up, challenge you, and refresh you. What is left, as you settle into
savasana or meditation, is clarity. With this clarity, it becomes easy to
see what changes will truly enhance your life – and they may not be the
kind of changes we habitually pledge in our New Year’s resolutions. Through
yoga practice, we also become aware of the relationship between our
thoughts, actions, and experience. It can be as simple as noticing how
your posture influences the quality of your breath, or how a small change
in the placement of your hands makes a challenging pose easier. This
process of noticing, of generating insight, seems simple. But over time,
as you carry this art of awareness into everything you do, every choice
will be better informed, every action more intentional, and every response
more insightful. Balancing
poses are particularly effective for developing awareness for a simple
reason: without awareness and internal intelligence, we fall. To test your
internal awareness in your yoga practice, try closing your eyes in a
balancing pose (such as tree pose). Instantly, the unconscious processes
that were holding you in the pose will reveal themselves. When you stop
looking outside yourself for balance, your internal intelligence will rise
to the challenge. Find
Your Focus Yoga
develops our ability to follow through on our intentions. Each pose is an
opportunity to develop concentration. We direct our effort and attention
to simple actions: staying aware of our breath and our body as we hold a
pose. Each pose is also an opportunity to develop commitment: we learn not
to give up at the first sign of boredom, anxiety, or fatigue. To
achieve true change, focus on the integrity of each action, rather than
the outcome you hope to achieve. To find this quality of focus in your
yoga practice, choose a standing pose (such as warrior pose) that is
challenging but accessible to you. Enter the pose with commitment, but
without ambition. Hold the pose as long as you can, without losing the
integrity of the pose’s alignment or sacrificing the quality of your
breath. End the pose when you feel too uncomfortable or tired to continue,
or when you feel a sense of satisfaction and completion. Carry this focus
and integrity to every action in your life. Surrender
Your Timeline Change
happens in increments, sometimes large and sometimes achingly small. When
we want change to happen instantly, we often give up. Yoga develops the
patience to allow change to unfold at its own pace. With time, yoga shows
us that small acts, performed consistently, can create profound change
over time. To
develop this patience in your yoga practice, enter a pose that directly
confronts, and slowly unravels, tension in your body. Choose a pose that
challenges your flexibility, but that you can comfortably hold. Relax in
the pose and wait. Breathe deeply. Commit to holding the pose for five
minutes, or as long as the pose remains comfortable. Notice how the
body’s tension unravels slowly, but surely. Practice the same pose
daily. As your body adapts to your consistent patience in the pose, your
starting point in the pose will change as well. Develop the patience to
move towards change slowly and purposefully. A
Practice for Life Yoga
practice is just that – practice for everyday life. Apply these
qualities of openness, awareness, focus, and patience to any change that
you would like to see in your life. While we cannot control all of
life’s many changes, we can act intentionally to shape our lives and
experiences. You don’t need an iron will to stick to your New Year’s
resolutions – a simple yoga practice is strong enough to guide you, and
flexible enough to receive whatever life brings. Return to Ideas for Your Yoga Practice
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