Monday, March 23, 2015

Yoga: Make it Your Own

If you’ve taken one of my yoga classes you’ve probably heard me say that I love looking around the room and seeing everyone doing something different!

It’s not that I don’t want people following along with the poses and sequences that I’m offering, but I know that not every pose works for every person and if something doesn’t work for you then you shouldn’t do it!  We each come to our yoga mat with different expectations, backgrounds and limitations and we need to respect those and work within our own comfort zone.

One of the most important, and often most difficult, things yoga students need to learn is to listen to your own body and do what’s right for YOU (which may not necessarily be what’s right for the person on the mat next to you!).  Most yoga teachers will offer different variations of poses giving the student the power to choose what’s right for them whether it’s a modification or taking a pose to it’s fullest expression – and just because you may have practiced the fullest expression in class last week doesn’t mean you need to do it again today! 

And don’t forget if you ever need a break, child’s pose is always there for you!  (I promise no one is judging you if you take a child’s pose in the middle of class, in fact, I silently applaud those that do because I know they’re listening to what their bodies need!)

One of the things I love about yoga is that between the many different styles, the modifications available and the use or props, it really can be accessible to everyone.  So listen to your body, listen to the options the teacher is offering and make your practice your own!

I hope to see you soon in my Monday and Thursday 8:30am classes at Mashpee Fitness!

Namaste
Danielle
Blog post by Danielle Nardi.

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