Just after new years, I went for a hike with an old friend. We noticed the trails were a little more crowded than usual—an excited conga line of hikers wearing their new grippy trail shoes, hydration vests, and sweat absorbing/UV blocking shirts. “Looks like a lot of folks made resolutions,” she said, and then asked if Namaste, like pilates studios, like crossfit “boxes,” and yes, like the Angeles Crest National Forest, was experiencing a similar influx of resolution-ers.
The answer, of course, is yes. Each year, the studio gets a new batch of students who’ve come to the mat for the first time or back after some time away. And it’s great— as a teacher, I can sense the enthusiasm and commitment in the room.
Unfortunately in modern culture, committed can start to look more like dogged. Before you know it, “I wanna practice yoga everyday!” becomes, “I have to practice yoga every day!” A rigid or unyielding approach can lead to burn out. If we view our resolution as something to conquer, we only have a few options: 1. achieve mastery and quit because been there stretched that, or 2. die on the hill of crow pose. I don’t know about you, but neither of those sound good to me.
If I could share just one bit of wisdom with my students, it would be that softening the approach to yoga is what gives it longevity. Softening the approach doesn’t have to mean that 2020 is the year of child’s pose. All it means is that each time we come to our mats, we take the time to orient ourselves in the space, to put ourselves in touch with physical sensations, to build awareness of what we need, and then move (or not move) our bodies accordingly.
I’ve found that the work of staying present on the mat is what’s helped me take my practice off the mat. I’m learning to sit with physical sensation, to see a pose as an opportunity—hey, I get to experience burning quads— as opposed to pushing, gritting teeth, bearing the unmitigated agony that is chair pose. And that’s the outlook that I try to bring off my mat, to crowded movie theaters, to long grocery lines, to traffic.
It’s a lot to consider, and the tools for a more present and mindful practice aren’t always covered in your average hour-long practice. Which is why I teamed up with dear friend and Fitzmaurice Voicework teacher Scott Ferrara to bring this workshop to the Namaste community.
Join us the afternoon of February 23rd and we’ll practice staying present in the safe space of a yoga mat so that we may take that presence into our everyday life.
For more information and to sign up for workshops go to: https://namastestudios.la/workshops
