STUDENT INSIGHTS

Insights after a year of yoga (I)
After a year of yoga my evolution on my mat is transcending to other aspects of my life.
I first took the brave step of entering the Sol Yoga studio on a Friday $5 night at least a year ago. I don’t remember much about the class other than feeling a little lost going through the asanas, wondering if I was doing them ‘the right way’ and of course ‘slightly’ worried about what the other yogis in the room thought about my practice. But I do vividly remember one thing; I remember feeling good and proud about myself after that first practice. I had taken a risk, I had tried something new without knowing what it was going to be like. I had the courage to step into a new place.

When I ponder about me and yoga, I notice acceptance. I have been able to go to a yoga class free from expectations for myself. Somewhere in my mind the voice that is saying: ‘go, be, feel, experiment, be curious and accept what is’ is getting louder and stronger over the old talk ‘I have to do well, it has to be right, I have to be good enough, what if I can’t do it?’ That perfectionist, strict voice, which I’m sure a lot of us hear, stops us from experiencing life. It doesn’t leave space in our lives for possibilities, creativity or curiosity and, most of all, stops us from getting to know and accept who we truly are.
…‘but one day we’ll float, take life as it comes’… P.J. Harvey

Insights after a year of yoga (II)

From a physical practice to an emotional experience.
Lately yoga practices are bringing tears to my eyes. A sentiment of deep compassion for myself and my body came over me while in savasana. How different was that experience when compared to the usual self-criticism and self-demanding mindset. I guess the tears were related to a realization of how hard and unfair I can be to myself. Most striking, or maybe not, the tears came after a practice in which I took asanas that were 'physically less demanding' for me and focused on the the prana (breath) in an attempt to accept where I was at that moment. It was a realization that I am not as strong as I ‘should be’ and it was an exercise, again, of acceptance. Why is it so hard to accept that we have vulnerabilities when it is our vulnerability that allows us to bond strongly and connect deeply with other human beings?
…‘how I am strong is to know what makes me weak’… Ben Harper

Written by L