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WHAT IF “DEEP” DOES NOT MEAN RANGE
There is an illusion in the modern yoga world that more is better. 🤔
Twist deeper. Stretch more.
I am not saying there is anything wrong with “explore our end range”.
I do that in my weekly middle split class. I want to “deepen” my backbend practice.
What if DEEPENING does not mean how much we can flatten our body in Upavisha Konasana (Pancake), or how close your hands are to your feet in Urhdva Dhanurasana (Wheel Pose), but to spend enough time in the poses to build strength and flexibility, but more importantly, for DEEP WORK, meaning repetition, consistency, we can understand these shapes a little bit better. 😊
The shape is less deep, but the work is. 🙌
Most of the time we don’t need to go deeper at all. I am not saying we are doing half-ass work.
But to have a healthy body, we do not need to fold our body in between two panes of glass or wrap our body like a pretzel.
Like in twists, the primary benefit of twists is to lubricate the discs between each vertebra of our spine. 👌
And in backbends, instead of focusing on creating a lot of depth, when we learn to create more evenness and balance when we bend backward, instead of creating more tension in our lower back and neck, we can learn to make our spine more supple and healthy. 💪
Instead of going deep or always going ALL THE WAY, can we focus more on the intention of the poses, or the practice? Is it to relax? Is it to strengthen? What mood or feeling are we intend to experience? Is it grounding? Or energizing?
And as a teacher, the language we use, and our intentions are essential
👉 Invite our students to explore different options and emphasize that all options are equal.
👉 The use of props to enhance the practice instead of an “if you need” basis.
👉 Consistently remind students that different things will work for different bodies.
A deep practice has nothing to do with range, or the “full expression” of the pose because there is no such thing.
Deep practice is to let go of poses, be willing to deeply listen to our body, and practice skilfully with intention.
Do Deep Work.
Do Less, but better.
This is our practice. ✨
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