If we allow it, our responses to different poses (asanas) can give us stunning insight into the way we respond or react in regular Life. Maybe you’ve felt it? An unwillingness to release in a forward bend? Rolling your eyes when it comes to backbends? This is part of Yoga’s beauty and Its depth: the lessons It has for us when facing adversity, boredom and discomfort are fashioned uniquely for us, and are directly (and sometimes frustratingly!) translatable to our Life off the Mat. As Christina Sell writes, “All yogic practice invites us to bring our inner recognition into our ordinary waking lives with increasing degrees of integrity and congruence.” (p.9, 2019)
Particularly pertinent during this Lockdown period, Yoga gives us a way of building resilience through discipline fashioned from Love and showing up for ourselves every time we step onto the mat. Yoga Sutra 1.14 is eloquently interpreted by Nischala Joy Devi as follows: Abhyasa (devoted practice) is nurtured by a sustained, steady rhythm and a dedicated heart. Our physical practice may be different each time but through it we can create a safe place in which we feel held and (hopefully) joyful or, at the very least, soften into what is.
I invite you to delve into the delights of Yoga with me through a mixed Flow and Restorative class : Thursdays, 6-7:15pm.
Robyn
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