Author: Kathrin

Home practice – give it a try

Kathrin1 Comment

This is how I get started

I used to go into a yoga studio, when one day I recognized, that I left the studio not that positively energized as I used to. There were a couple of changes, that haven’t been good for me. Instead of hopping through various studios, I gave home practice a try and was surprised how easy it was to keep track. All my former teachers were still in my ears and I could hear them adjusting me. Which helps a lot! I didn’t pushed myself too hard and also found excellent video courses online. I skipped these courses since I jumped into the Ashtanga world, however, once in a while I’m still looking for an interesting class, take a one2one class or attend a workshop. Great opportunities to get inspired, to learn and also get adjusted.

Not to underestimate the amazing energy of practicing in a large group, particularly in an Ashtanga led class, when everybody breathe the same rhythm. Very touching! Love to have this from time to time, as a kind of add on.

Even if I prefer practicing at home for my daily routine, see why:

  1. Freedom – customized practice in terms of what I do, how long and when
  2. No comparison – of course, we should not, but in class we can’t fully avoid to compare ourselves to others. Our abilities to do certain postures, even our bodies…. Yes, non-yogic, but human!
  3. No hassle with what to wear – I practice just as I am or put on what feels best in that moment. Fancy yoga brands, pajama, bikini…. My pants slipping down, my top up? Who cares?
  4. Playground – best place to break the rules! For discovery, play and curiosity. You won’t blame yourself, but might have a good laugh!
  5. Mood-matching – I might feel like having some gentle ‘pling-plong’ music in the background, I might feel like having a good beat to support my body moving or I might want to listen just to my Ujjay breath – whatever, my mood, my choice.
  6. Peace of mind – without any distraction, I found it easier to go internal and focus, to listen to my body and connect with myself.

Give it a try! When you’re a beginner, get started in class. It’s key to get a feeling for the postures, get used to breathing techniques and understand basic alignment.

Yoga is about…

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Last weekend I attended a workshop and the key message was: yoga is about alignment with your vital state, the living spirit. The book I’m currently reading says, yoga is about the search for space. I’ve got a lot of yoga books, lots of different words, that explain what yoga is about. On this webpage, you’ll find my thoughts on what yoga is. Who’s right? Everybody. Are we lost in translation? Honestly, don’t let anybody tell you what yoga is. You define it. Put it in words, what yoga means to you. In your own words. We might all think more or less the same, but articulate it differently, using different words. For your understanding your words are key, as the devil is in the detail. Whatever your definition is, just don’t put it in stone, but rethink from time to time.

In todays practice my mind wandered a lot. Millions of thoughts, far away from my mat. I didn’t had any focus and was internally complaining, that all of a sudden I wasn’t able to go deep into certain postures any longer. I heard myself and started laughing. It’s not just about my limitations today, I wasn’t practicing yoga at all. Just doing postures, I wouldn’t even call them asanas.

And this is what makes the difference in my practice: as soon as I’m connected, listening to my Ujjay breath, keeping my bandhas activated, I’ll be in my flow. When my focus goes internal, I follow my rhythm, I’m practicing yoga, I’m practicing a moving meditation. Today was exercise. Which is ok. I’ll be back tomorrow!

Let the dedication remain

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Good and bad – even if I don’t really like the weight and rigidity of these categories, we’re all using them. Particularly when describing our days, they seem to be like this, either good or bad, cross the board.

The so called bad days tend to get much more attention. Whether it’s our mind being in a bad mood, stressed or overwhelmed or our body, that doesn’t want to move or bend as we wish.

I ask you to be aware and fully enjoy (yes!) both of them. Your full being is different each day, flexible and strong one day, stiff and weak the other day. Your body and your mind, each nothing but a marvel and the way they work together makes you simply a masterpiece. Whatever they offer, just accept it. Life is challenging you, giving you lessons to learn and opportunities to grow.

Accept where you are that day, that moment. With all your limitations, all the mud you might feel stuck in. Have a look at your wings and recognize what you’re able to do. It’s you. In exactly that moment. Be aware and conscious.

Keep on returning to your mat and practice. No matter what you’re doing, no matter how long. Just do it. And love it.

UNPLUG from age

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Discover the magic
Unplug from the ordinary and discover the extraordinary. Free yourself from the idea of age. Yes, agree, that’s quite a difficult one and I’m struggling myself. Yoga teaches me to believe in myself. As long as you love what you do, don’t care about anything.

There’s just one thing you should be aware of when you passed your 20s and 30s and 40s and are not already a super-duper yoga pro, doing handstand on your index finger: Stop comparing yourself to the 20 years old girl next to you.

It’s not about ‚she can do and you can’t‘. Not about her perfect body and your body showing a tiny little bit the fun you had in life so far (yes, you read it, bloody amazing experiences, I know!).

Our whole body simply works different at certain ages. Our body change and sometimes we might recognize this as something negative. But it’s not. It’s just different. We might get less stable and scarier than we were 10 years ago. Even if you work hard, there are no guaranteed results. Life doesn’t work that way.

Try changing your perspective to one of gratitude over what you can do, right now. Try changing your expectations. It’s not about that fancy posture, it’s about your inner connection and peace. You’ll progress anyway!

The beauty of age is to not care anymore and just do what you want. Becoming a yoga teacher in your 50s? Go for it! Worrying that you can’t do it same way as all the youngsters? True, you won’t. You’ll do it differently and your students will appreciate your approach. Just trust in yourself and do whatever you love. There’s no better guidance as love and passion. Accept who you are. Where you are. Live your dreams, without struggling with thoughts of right and wrong. You are never too old for anything.

Be driven by love. End of story.

༺♡༻

Progress

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“Practice, practice and all is coming.”
Sri Patthabhi Jois, the founder of Ashtanga Yoga

On a physical level, we’re pretty much aware of our body, what we can do and slightly focused on what we can’t. We might work hard on something we are eager to, be it to lose weight, shape certain sections of our body, gain strength, flexibility, or or or.

Exercise
In my yoga practice, this hard work is usually about a special asana I want to learn. Being overwhelmed with pics in the internet of fancy arm-balances, I admit, these images feel quite comfortable sitting in my head, chasing me, come on, at least this one, go for it! Alright, I’m working on it…
Finally being able to do a certain posture, yes, that’s progress. On a quite high and technical level. However, going deeper is what it makes really meaningful. Not just in yoga, but in every single part of our lives!

Moving meditation
Real progress shows up for me in these tiny little things, that make me feel so good. The moment of ease in an asana. Just that. Or when all of a sudden one hand grabs the other wrist in Marichyasana A and C. The moment when my head touched the mat first time in Prasarita Padhottanasana A. 

The difference is, when doing my daily practice, I’m just doing it. Not pushing myself into anything, but accepting where I am that day, with all my strength and weakness. All my limitations, that might vary from day to day. My aim is not doing a fancy posture, but  connecting with myself. Connecting with my breath, go internal, withdraw my senses. Lifting my yoga practice from exercise into a moving meditation. And sometimes these tiny little things happen, showing I’m moving, I’m progressing. With a huge smile on my face.
This feels natural to me, as it’s coming from the inside. My mind starts to let go, my body release and opens. One of the most beautiful feelings!

And it’s of course not just about yoga, you can translate this into all of your life. Whenever you want or particularly when you feel being in a challenging situation, deepen your breath, go internal, connect with your SELF. Be grateful of where you are and who you are. This will ground you anytime, bringing you back to what is really important: YOU.

 

What is Yoga?

Kathrin5 Comments

A question I had to answer in my yoga philosophy exam. A question that came back into my mind yesterday. My classes this week were different. For one time no smooth asana flow, but hard work on our foundation and stability. Seems not everybody expected this in a yoga class. No? Well, I’m curious to see my student’s reactions when I introduce them to mantra chanting… 😉

Anyhow, this brings me back to the question „what is yoga“? There must be millions of different views on that, when looking at all the different yoga and teaching styles! And new styles popping up each month…

Finally, it’s about our believes, our view of how something should be. There is no right or wrong. Lot’s of people — including me — started their yoga practice as exercise. A different form of gymnastics, work out. Which is absolute fine, even if this means not using the full potential. Yoga asanas are a very efficient way to train our bodies. But yoga is so much more. If you stop here, you’ll miss a lot. My view is, the beauty of yoga is not IN the asanas, but comes to us THROUGH them.

„Yoga is an inner practice. The rest is just a circus.“ – Sri Pattabhi Jois, the founder of Ashtanga yoga.

Boom. What? The guru himself kind of disclaims? Why not using the one to achieve the other? Give it a try. Practice the circus, use the asanas to go internal, to connect with your SELF.

YOGA is usually translated as UNITY. Or as the Bhagavat Gita says, „The journey of the self through the self to the self.“ 

Asana, the yoga posture, is just one of the 8 limbs of yoga. What we practice as yoga in the western world is just a very small part of yoga. The 8 limbs of yoga are:

  1. Yama – ethical discipline
  2. Niyama – self observation
  3. Asana – posture
  4. Pranayama – breath control
  5. Pratyanara – sense withdraw
  6. Dharana – concentration
  7. Dyana – Meditation
  8. Samadhi – state of joy and peace

Yoga is also about not judging. Just practice and see what happens. In your mind, in our body. Watching, recognizing, without changing anything.

Give it a try. Start your next class open. Give your believes a time out. For an hour, no judgement, just do it. Breathe through your practice, connect with yourself, go internal and enjoy your progress.

Namasté