Have you ever forced yourself into a pose even when it didn’t feel right? And perhaps even been injured as a result?
For a long time, I ignored signs and intuitions and pushed myself through poses and practice that were scary and at times, not right for my body.
I was being competitive, or I thought it was a sign of dedication to yoga.
I started yoga because of lower back pain. Yoga made it better.
However, when I started getting “advanced” I developed lower back issues THROUGH YOGA!
Doesn’t our practice teach us to listen to our body and not push it?
So often, we are told to follow instructions rather than practice self-inquiry.
We practice in a society that emphasizes shapes and outcomes more than understanding the body and mind.
At times, teachers (including myself) may not be sufficiently trained to help students make wise decisions.
As both a student and a teacher, I am learning to reorient my practices and teachings.
To play the edge, but not be aggressive with our body.
To listen and see what works and doesn’t work (and by the way, that changes every day).
As a teacher, I want my students to remember that their value does not reside in the outcome, but in the 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝗴𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀.
To truly listen to the body, to learn how to move skillfully, and to know when to back off.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲.
Thank you @zhiqian.tay for constantly reminding us to “explore”, and to “figure things out”, and for the knowledge both in techniques and true wisdom teaching us how to work with our bodies skillfully.
@mushinmovement
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