Do you ever feel that your mind wanders during your yoga practice? Maybe you become distracted by someone’s clothes or by your To Do list? Or maybe a memory floats to the top of your mind? Do you then feel annoyed at yourself for momentarily tuning out? Take a deep breath and relax – not only is this common, it should be celebrated! Yoga is designed to be a holistic practice that allows the unification of your mind, body and spirit. How your yoga practice unfolds every time you get on your mat is unique to you. It’s a celebration of how you are in that moment – your experiences, your feelings and emotions, your sensations in your body and your inner self. It’s time to say, “It’s all good!”. It’s time to free your yoga practice from judgement.
A judgement is made when we label something as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. However, bear in mind that we often dislike something because we find it challenging. That doesn’t mean that challenging experiences are necessarily ‘bad’. Challenges are what helps us to grow and develop into who we truly are. Therefore, try not to dismiss certain poses or practices as ‘bad’ because they are challenging; see them as a chance to grow. Give yourself the freedom to try new poses, even if you wobble or lose your balance. Those sensations are simply your body learning. Keep trying because one day soon, your body will flow into that pose with ease – it may even become one of your favourites!
Judging yourself by comparing your yoga practice to someone else’s doesn’t serve you. Give yourself and your practice permission to be wonderfully unique. Yoga isn’t about being ‘the best’. Rather, yoga is about being. Being you, exactly as you are, in that moment. Your body, your mind and your spirit. Take the pressure off! Yoga is not a performance, it’s your personal expression. It’s ever changing and evolving, just as you are. When you practice yoga without judgement, you will experience true freedom to be you and that is when you experience the true healing power that yoga provides.
Namaste.
By Rachel Lindsay