![]() ![]() With the experience that comes from regular practice, you will learn to follow your inner prompting. As you gently monitor those basic elements, you will feel your body, mind, and breath unite, and you can open to the moment as your entire being is infused with the deep nourishing qualities of each pose. It is essential that you learn to breathe and to open and relax in whatever asana you’re in. For example, there is nothing more important than learning to connect with the earth by grounding through the feet, and with the sky by lengthening the spine. The basic instructions are the most essential. But with the experience that comes from regular practice, you will learn to follow your inner prompting, and here again, keeping it simple is the best approach. At first you may miss some aspect of being led through a practice, particularly the reminders of where to direct your attention. ![]() ![]() Practicing on your own gives you the opportunity to tailor your practice to your specific needs. In the beginning it is helpful to have a specific focus such as backbends, seated poses, or restorative postures in time you will learn to vary it based on what your body, nervous system, and mind need most that day. When time is short (as it is for most of us), trying to do too much can leave you feeling scattered and frenetic-the opposite of what you want your practice to achieve. To be satisfying, practice sessions should be both focused and balanced. It will also motivate you to keep coming back to your mat. A simple practice will give you a chance to fully inhabit the poses, to focus on your breath, and to be present with your experience. So at the outset, save the more challenging poses for classes, and experiment with using your daily practice to maintain your equilibrium. It is much easier to monitor your mental state and stay aware and comfortable in the postures when you’re not working your body to its maximum limits of strength and flexibility. Strive for a sense of ease and steadiness-the mental attitude is what makes asana yoga and not just exercise. Once your motivation is clear, it is best to start simply. Only personally meaningful reasons will sustain a regular practice. The only requirement here is that your motivation come from you. There are all kinds of reasons for practicing asana regularly, from the desire to expand your sense of yourself to practical health concerns. It awakens a sense of thankfulness, and leaving my mat each day steeped in gratitude gives me a chance to be less identified with the mundane ups and downs of daily life, and more grounded in an awareness of the divine. My asana practice helps me be more mindful and in the present. My own motivation comes from realizing I’m a better person on days that I practice than I am when I don’t. The first step is to ask yourself why you want to do this if you don’t know, if it’s just a vague “should,” you won’t be motivated. Developing a regular, satisfying practice requires time, commitment, and perseverance.įinding some quiet time and getting onto your mat is hard enough, but once you’re there, figuring out what to do is a challenge. Or perhaps you do practice at home from time to time but haven’t developed consistency. ![]() Even if you attend classes regularly, when you’re on your own the possibilities can be overwhelming. Finding some quiet time and getting onto your mat is hard enough, but once you’re there, figuring out what to do is a challenge. ![]()
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