Practice makes practice

[clevermanka]

This is the best yoga article I've read in a while. It might be the best general yoga article I've read ever.

Let’s just clear something up right away. You do not need to be flexible to do yoga. This is not a prerequisite to the practice. They call it a practice for a reason...If these poses feel overwhelming and impossible, then start off small. Find a pose you would really like to master and set aside ten to fifteen minutes to focus on it...Saying “I can’t do it” is self-defeating and does nothing but delay your practice even further. There will always be more to learn, accomplish, and strive for. You never really arrive at the destination, so you might as well try to enjoy the journey.

It makes me sad (or, if I'm in a mood, irritated) to hear people say "I can't do yoga. I'm not flexible enough." Or even "I couldn't do that pose. I'm not strong/flexible/whatever enough." Gopi, my first, and best-loved yoga teacher taught us that there is no one perfect form for a posture. One of the wonderful, beautiful, and inspiring things about yoga is that whatever your body can do in that pose in that particular moment is exactly how the pose should be done (assuming proper technique and form). Take Paschimottanasana, for example. That posture in the photograph there? I know maybe two people who can go that far into the posture. Yes, the professional yoga model is doing the full pose perfectly (surprise!). But so is this person. And this person. This person would be doing it perfectly if she wasn't trying to avoid squashing the cat in her lap.

Gopi also said that forcing our bodies to go deeper into a pose is a bad idea. Our bodies are like children--or teenagers. We can only ask them to do something, show them that it might be fun, and hope they join us. Pushing our muscles/joints/tissues into a pose only results in delayed progress at best and injury at worst. Studies have shown that forcing a stretch only results in more stiffness and a body's resistance to allowing future development of a pose (I'm not going to look up those studies for you--if you're that dubious, Google 'em yourself). It's important to do what you can do and what your body wants to do, at that moment.

Of course, you can't just sit there and expect your body to eventually fall perfectly into a pose. Yoga is work. A lot of work. Hard work. It takes practice (again with this idea of yoga as practice) to listen to your body and find out what it wants to do, how it wants to do it, and if it wants to try to do more. Those things can change from day to day, too, so don't ever stop listening.

Don't stop practicing.

Comments

[shrijani.livejournal.com]

Yes! And even when one has mastery of yoga, or meditation, or mindfulness, it never stops being practice. Operating from that perspective is necessary in order to keep growing.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Operating from that perspective is necessary in order to keep growing.

Exactly!

[etcet.livejournal.com]

I have all the mobiliy of a half-rotten tree stump, and need to work on it more. I should spend some time before/after lifting to go through some cow/cat/dog/eagle/tree stuff.

Note to self: start with today's workout. because you are stiff, and because you are going to be picking up a ridiculous amount of weight.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Definitely! Better mobility can lead to strength gains, too, since when you have a larger range of motion those little interstitial guys can work harder because they're better engaged.

Have you tried playing around with myofascial release stuff? That might be really good for you, especially if your current flexibility levels are limited.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love this post. My mum used to talk about having students who would try to push themselves into stretches and how she had to convince them to be gentle with their bodies.
I struggle with comparing myself to "what I used to be able to do" and need to remember that with Gentle Practice, I just might get back to where I was, but I can't rush it. It's just like the beginning of every school year when I was in high school, I couldn't do the splits, but after a couple weeks of practice, I'd be right back to my usual flexibility.

It's important to do what you can do and what your body wants to do, at that moment.
Perfect Point is Perfect!
I may never be able to hold my weight on my left shoulder the way I did before the nerve degeneration, but I can't let that stop me from trying to find what I *can* do. And who knows? Maybe one day those nerve cells *will* regenerate, I can hope. I do know from going through a total paralysis when I was 20 that it takes approx a month for a nerve cell to grow an inch, so time and patience...

Oh! and in other Good News, after doing a few modified Sun Salutations each day, the pain in my shoulder went away, so maybe it was just a pinched nerve and not an injury. YAY!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

HURRAY!!! And yes, even if you never regain the same flexibility of your youth, it's always a good thing to be a teensy bit better than you were yesterday. =)

Pssst I am introducing mckitterick to sun salutations today. He doesn't know yet.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

Yoga was so hard for me. :( The first time I did it, it hurt in a way that seemed wrong...my spine hurt & at the time I had plantar fasciitis and she wanted me to take my shoes off. I understand it is supposed to be done with the shoes off, but I needed the support in my feet at that time...

I tried again with another teacher. I worked really hard to achieve the poses and even though I couldn't do them all I felt kinda proud of myself. The teacher ended the session with a face down relaxation that I enjoyed, but then she came around and gently touched us. For me, she just put a finger on my shoulder and said, 'good job." At which point, for reasons I never figured out, I burst into tears and started sobbing.

??

Maybe I'll try again some day, but right now I like the grunty stuff better...it doesn't make me cry. :)

[annamatic.livejournal.com]

I have found yoga to be a very emotional release sometimes. The slow, deliberate movements kind of make you be aware of your body's movements when so often we try and ignore our physical nature and just kind of be the passive carriers for our 'selves'. And then watching and moving our bodies deliberately and meaningfully, followed by gentleness from another person and kind affirmation... that can definitely be very emotional. I've cried during yoga. It's like crying when you've got a lot bottled up inside and you don't realize how much until a friend gives you a hug, and suddenly you're weeping hysterically out of seemingly nowhere.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Everything annamatic said, there, above. Having people cry in class isn't unusual at all. Letting your body open like that enough to allow an emotional release probably meant you did great work in that class! The opposite of FAIL, totally.

[skyflame.livejournal.com]

This holds for any type of exercise, really. You have to listen to your body; it'll tell you how it feels and if you're doing too much. I've been varying the speeds on the treadmill over the last several weeks for that very reason. Winter is always bad for my exercise because I get a chronic sinus/lung issue that sometimes makes it difficult to breathe, so I dial down the speed when my body tells me.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Good for you for listening, and continuing to move!

[aprilstarchild.livejournal.com]

YOU ARE SINGING MY SONG. Like, seriously, this is all SO TRUE.

My favorite yoga teachers are the ones who emphasize doing what you can today. What can your body do today? And none of that "go deeper into the pose" bullshit. I fucking hate that. I went to one class like that and when I left, I was not pleasantly worn out and blissful, I was pissed off and my back and neck were sore, and that was with me actively resisting pushing as hard as she wanted us to. Fuck you, lady.

I mean, yeah, yoga is damn hard. "Just two more breaths!" AAaaaugh! But I can usually hold it two more breaths. I can try harder and gently push myself, which is NOT the same thing as hurting myself. I know the difference, usually, thanks.

I do wish more yoga websites/books had pictures of what regular people look like doing them, in addition to the "ideal." It's hard to know if you're doing it right when you have to adapt it and/or your body doesn't work that way.

Hah, I have long hamstrings and I can't do the pose like the yoga website's picture. Good lord no.

Pfft. It would be nice to do Bridge pose and have my torso and legs be something close to straight--I currently lack the strength and flexibility to get my ass very far off the floor.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

*fistbump*

I'm a fan of closing my eyes and just thinking about going deeper in the pose on the exhale. Sometimes my body moves and sometimes it doesn't. But since my eyes are closed, I never know for sure until I open them to come out of the pose. It's a nice way to play with my body's possibilities without causing physical strain.

[carmy-w.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this post! Dean and I have been going down to the local wellness center nightly, and while the treadmill/weights have started to make differences in less than a week, I don't feel like we are doing enough stretching to start up. I think I'll throw in some sun salutations and see how that feels! I want to get back to strong AND limber!

Way back when, there was a great yoga show on cable that I would practice along with daily, and I loved doing it. Flexibility is my main weakness-I'm tight as a drum, unless I work at it all the time!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I want to get back to strong AND limber!

Good for you!

[zitronenhai.livejournal.com]

Yes! And even when one has mastery of yoga, or meditation, or mindfulness, it never stops being practice. Operating from that perspective is necessary in order to keep growing.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Operating from that perspective is necessary in order to keep growing.

Exactly!

[etcet.livejournal.com]

I have all the mobiliy of a half-rotten tree stump, and need to work on it more. I should spend some time before/after lifting to go through some cow/cat/dog/eagle/tree stuff.

Note to self: start with today's workout. because you are stiff, and because you are going to be picking up a ridiculous amount of weight.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Definitely! Better mobility can lead to strength gains, too, since when you have a larger range of motion those little interstitial guys can work harder because they're better engaged.

Have you tried playing around with myofascial release stuff? That might be really good for you, especially if your current flexibility levels are limited.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love this post. My mum used to talk about having students who would try to push themselves into stretches and how she had to convince them to be gentle with their bodies.
I struggle with comparing myself to "what I used to be able to do" and need to remember that with Gentle Practice, I just might get back to where I was, but I can't rush it. It's just like the beginning of every school year when I was in high school, I couldn't do the splits, but after a couple weeks of practice, I'd be right back to my usual flexibility.

It's important to do what you can do and what your body wants to do, at that moment.
Perfect Point is Perfect!
I may never be able to hold my weight on my left shoulder the way I did before the nerve degeneration, but I can't let that stop me from trying to find what I *can* do. And who knows? Maybe one day those nerve cells *will* regenerate, I can hope. I do know from going through a total paralysis when I was 20 that it takes approx a month for a nerve cell to grow an inch, so time and patience...

Oh! and in other Good News, after doing a few modified Sun Salutations each day, the pain in my shoulder went away, so maybe it was just a pinched nerve and not an injury. YAY!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

HURRAY!!! And yes, even if you never regain the same flexibility of your youth, it's always a good thing to be a teensy bit better than you were yesterday. =)

Pssst I am introducing mckitterick to sun salutations today. He doesn't know yet.

[siro-gravity.livejournal.com]

Yoga was so hard for me. :( The first time I did it, it hurt in a way that seemed wrong...my spine hurt & at the time I had plantar fasciitis and she wanted me to take my shoes off. I understand it is supposed to be done with the shoes off, but I needed the support in my feet at that time...

I tried again with another teacher. I worked really hard to achieve the poses and even though I couldn't do them all I felt kinda proud of myself. The teacher ended the session with a face down relaxation that I enjoyed, but then she came around and gently touched us. For me, she just put a finger on my shoulder and said, 'good job." At which point, for reasons I never figured out, I burst into tears and started sobbing.

??

Maybe I'll try again some day, but right now I like the grunty stuff better...it doesn't make me cry. :)

[annamatic.livejournal.com]

I have found yoga to be a very emotional release sometimes. The slow, deliberate movements kind of make you be aware of your body's movements when so often we try and ignore our physical nature and just kind of be the passive carriers for our 'selves'. And then watching and moving our bodies deliberately and meaningfully, followed by gentleness from another person and kind affirmation... that can definitely be very emotional. I've cried during yoga. It's like crying when you've got a lot bottled up inside and you don't realize how much until a friend gives you a hug, and suddenly you're weeping hysterically out of seemingly nowhere.

[skyflame.livejournal.com]

This holds for any type of exercise, really. You have to listen to your body; it'll tell you how it feels and if you're doing too much. I've been varying the speeds on the treadmill over the last several weeks for that very reason. Winter is always bad for my exercise because I get a chronic sinus/lung issue that sometimes makes it difficult to breathe, so I dial down the speed when my body tells me.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Good for you for listening, and continuing to move!

[aprilstarchild.livejournal.com]

YOU ARE SINGING MY SONG. Like, seriously, this is all SO TRUE.

My favorite yoga teachers are the ones who emphasize doing what you can today. What can your body do today? And none of that "go deeper into the pose" bullshit. I fucking hate that. I went to one class like that and when I left, I was not pleasantly worn out and blissful, I was pissed off and my back and neck were sore, and that was with me actively resisting pushing as hard as she wanted us to. Fuck you, lady.

I mean, yeah, yoga is damn hard. "Just two more breaths!" AAaaaugh! But I can usually hold it two more breaths. I can try harder and gently push myself, which is NOT the same thing as hurting myself. I know the difference, usually, thanks.

I do wish more yoga websites/books had pictures of what regular people look like doing them, in addition to the "ideal." It's hard to know if you're doing it right when you have to adapt it and/or your body doesn't work that way.

Hah, I have long hamstrings and I can't do the pose like the yoga website's picture. Good lord no.

Pfft. It would be nice to do Bridge pose and have my torso and legs be something close to straight--I currently lack the strength and flexibility to get my ass very far off the floor.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

*fistbump*

I'm a fan of closing my eyes and just thinking about going deeper in the pose on the exhale. Sometimes my body moves and sometimes it doesn't. But since my eyes are closed, I never know for sure until I open them to come out of the pose. It's a nice way to play with my body's possibilities without causing physical strain.

[carmy-w.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this post! Dean and I have been going down to the local wellness center nightly, and while the treadmill/weights have started to make differences in less than a week, I don't feel like we are doing enough stretching to start up. I think I'll throw in some sun salutations and see how that feels! I want to get back to strong AND limber!

Way back when, there was a great yoga show on cable that I would practice along with daily, and I loved doing it. Flexibility is my main weakness-I'm tight as a drum, unless I work at it all the time!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I want to get back to strong AND limber!

Good for you!