Yoga is touted as having many benefits – physical, mental, emotional – and I have heard of studies done on these and while I am certainly not an expert here, I have written from time to time about my personal experiences with the benefits that I have found from my own practice. One benefit that I feel I’ve learned and seemed a great topic to write about this February (a month often all about love) is practicing some self-love by listening to my body.
I’ve been fortunate to have had amazing teachers over the years who I’ve noticed say things like they are “inviting” us to try out a pose and then maybe take it to the next level. But they also remind students to return to an earlier version if the next iteration didn’t feel right, to back off if the discomfort feels like it might turn into pain. That there’s a difference between the two. Discomfort often leads to growth, but pain is the body’s way of alerting us that something isn’t quite right.
I also practice more with blocks now to make use of them if a particular muscle happens to feel tight that day (that’s often how I use them) or trying a new pose for a little extra support. I’m not trying to look picture perfect, but I am trying to enjoy the benefits of yoga while meeting myself where I’m at in a particular moment in time.
If a cue is offered and I find it may not feel right that day, I adjust and settle into the version of the pose that feels right for me. Thinking of trying different variations as an invitation offers a chance to explore and yet, not something I have to do. Perhaps it’s not taking a bind or extending a stretch as deep as I may have before if my muscles feel too tight. And sometimes too, it’s taking that child’s pose, taking a moment to catch my breath.
What this comes down to, for me, is listening to what’s going on when I’m on my mat. Hopefully off of it too!
And relatedly, The Mat offers a theme each month that is highlighted in its monthly newsletter. The theme this month? Seva, or service and expounded upon as love in action (back to that overall theme of love – and variations of it – for February!). To read this month’s newsletter and sign up to receive it going forward, check out The Mat’s newsletter page.
This is the part of a series of posts for The Mat Yoga Studio, sharing my thoughts and observations as a student only. The views and opinions are my own experience.
