14 February 2008

The "Ah-ha!" Moments Just Keep Coming

Today's practice was unexpected until about 5pm. Wasn't in the cards, what WAS in the cards was my Photoshop class that lasts an absurd 4 hours and that plan died a hard, fast and brilliant death once I let go of feeling obligated to go and assessed that what I really wanted to do was go home and do yoga. Chad and I did yoga together (no, not Valentine's Day yoga, blargh!), with a Rodney Yee video, which was, eh, ok. It is taking time, but I am coming to understand I just don't like yoga DVD's.

What I am also coming to understand is that I am always looking for a teacher, or a leader, when really all I need now is myself. I practice enough, have taken enough classes and have read nearly every yoga book published that I think if I just start to honor my inner teacher I will find great benefit. I don't need to run out to every studio in town and I don't need to rent every yoga DVD from Netflix. My best practices lately are on my own. I am more focused lately in my personal practice than ever before and well, that might be a by-product of practice! Practice and all IS coming!

2 comments:

Mary said...

It's great to be able to come to a point in your practice where you know what works for you.

I like to mix up my practice with classes (I like chanting with others) and a home practice mixed with DVDs and self guided. I often wish I liked self guided practice more but if I can get to a class with my favourite Jivamukti teacher, I'll jump at the chance. I also seem to have a deeper practice when in class. But that might be because my cats aren't jumping all over and around me ;-)

What would be a basic self guided sequence for you and how long do you practice for? I hope you don't mind me asking :-)

lauren said...

I do know what you are saying, I admit that depending on the class I am in at the time, I do have a deeper practice, but that does depend on the class...say in an Ashtanga class, I get a deep practice because there isn't much thinking involved, I know the poses and it's great to be in a room full of people breathing together.

That being said, when I am home practicing, I usually start easy with cat-cow and just some intro to "being" in that space, then I follow an ashtanga sequence, taking off-shoots when I feel like I want to, so ashtanga is the template.

How long is my at home practice? It varies. I mean, I've spent like 2 hours on a Friday night practicing, and then other times I practice for 45 min and call it done. But it's never really less than 45 min, otherwise I feel incomplete, you know?

Thanks for reading my blog by the way!