Yoga Isn't for Everybody

18th August 2023 Written by Dvonne Loring

Some reflections after my recent yoga class

I couldn’t tell you how long it’s been since I last attended a yoga class

It’s been at the very least, since 2019 (though I think it’s -much- longer than that)

I used to have a strong practice

I was committed

Attended classes often

Both in my home city and whenever I travelled interstate or abroad

Being in a class again, with fellow students/yogis and an instructor guiding us brought a level of structured intention I hadn’t felt in while

There’s a time and financial investment that asks for coordinated organisation

It was also interesting returning to the mat and feeling myself

The relationship with my body has evolved enormously in the last 4+ years and I could feel it during my practice in the class

I felt much less inhibited

More free

More fluid

In the lead up to attending the class, I was curious about how my body was going to respond to asanas I hadn’t moved my body in and out of in sometime

My strength and ability seemed surprisingly similar to what it was half a decade ago

But something was different...

I found that I was smiling to myself when I lost balance and when my body would shake holding a pose

Realising, remembering how hard I used to get on myself at those very moments in the past

Mmm the competition I used to feel with myself in this context has softened

Something else struck me returning to the mat…

You don’t “do” yoga

The essence of yoga is (I hope to simplify it here, not butcher it) -

To find ease in discomfort and to bring unison to the mind, body and spirit

It’s a philosophy

It’s a practice

It’s a way of life

I’d come to realise that this very philosophy has extended and integrated into my life at large in ways I wasn’t fully conscious of (ha the irony)

Where my baseline of day to day intention and mindfulness has deepened

This was a beautiful discovery

.

Though yoga has exploded across the world and has become a way in which people can connect with themselves and their gentle path

Perhaps this is an ode to those who have tried practicing yoga and have struggled with it and discontinued

To those who find it difficult, challenging or downright annoying

Practicing yoga and attending classes are but one avenue to invite presence, mindfulness and rest into your life

There are many ways

.

I’m currently reading The Art of Rest: How to Find Respite in the Modern Age by Claudia Hammond

I’m only a chapter in and I’m feeling enriched and inspired already learning more about this often forgotten art and noticing the textures and nuances that can get overlooked

I look forward to bringing to you my learnings from this book that may support you to discover what works for you

Stay tuned

.

Now, am I in a rush to get myself to another class and return to a formalised practice?

No, not necessarily. I'm open, but there's no urgency about it

Tell me - what’s your relationship with yoga? What has your experience been like? Share with me in the comment below

With love, as always

Xx