What if my whole day, from start to finish, was a yoga class in itself?
Musings from a yoga teacher and human being...
Full disclosure, as a yoga teacher I don’t always feel good after teaching a class.
Something about focussing on what I am saying and how I am saying it, can bring me out of my body and into my head.
When I first started teaching, I would favour one side to demonstrate and end up totally lopsided at the end.
Other times, I would be so focused on sequencing, I would loose perspective of the full feel and intention of the class.
On the other hand, when I do personal practice, I almost always feel good. I feel embodied, focussed and present.
When I first completed my yoga teacher training, I would roll out of bed, eyes still closed, on to my mat every morning to start the day from a yogic place.
Nowadays as a mama, I crave the downtime I get while my wild-child-toddler is napping so I can find my mat, amongst the train sets, toy cars, and crumbs; and float away into the blissful cloud of my 30 min practice.
But is that a good thing?
I had a thought the other day about how my time on the mat is like a bubble in my day; a complete void of moving meditation and mindful physicality. Yes, it is better than nothing. Yes, it serves a big and beautiful purpose.
But is this a true yoga practice?
I hear the expression “yoga off the mat” a lot, but what can it mean in reality?
I have been experimenting with inviting elements of my yoga practice off the mat, and into my day and this is what it can look like. It can end up looking like a series of questions. Questions I inevitably ask others while instructing a yoga class.
What if my whole day, from start to finish, was a yoga class in itself?
Waking up- (Class Opening)
-What is my intention for the day?
Morning - (Warm up)
-Can I feel my two feet on the earth.. ?
-Can I feel the lift and length of my posture?
Midday (Standing postures)
-Can I take an inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth?
-What is my jaw doing? What are my shoulders doing?
-Can I breathe and ground energy out the souls of both my feet?
During moments of stress or challenge - (peak pose of class)?
-Can I remember to take options?
-Can I laugh at the situation?
-What is the most kind action right now?
-Do I need to drink water?
Evening - (Cool down)
-Can I tap back into my intention from the start of the day?
-Can I move the energy back into my body?
-Can I put my legs above my heart (or up the wall) and invert?
Sleep time - (Shavasana)
-What can I let go of?
-What are the treasures of my day?
It is entirely probable that the answer to the questions at any point in the day may be “no,” and that’s okay. It is entirely possible we completely forget to offer ourselves these questions throughout the day at all, and that’s okay.
But one thing I am sure of is that, just as every yoga class we do brings us closer to embodiment: every minute of every day is an opportunity to BE yogic.
I have noticed these days I usually do feel better after teaching classes, and I am able to tap into the heart of the practice over the sequence (most of the time). There are days when my personal “yoga practice” can look like eating my lunch, in peace and quiet, cross legged on my mat and appreciating the nourishment. Or mindfully washing the dishes, with two feet firmly planted on the earth, slightly bent knees, gentle tuck of the tailbone, engagement through the core, breathing smoothly, being grateful for clean running water…
There are a finite number of yoga classes we can possibly do in our life and also a finite number of days. So, if I can try and BE yoga all the days of my life, that feels like a true yoga practice worth living.
Li Mei Wong
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