Finding Your Way With Yoga

In the past ten years we’ve seen a dizzying yoga explosion in the West. The styles and approaches are widely varied – Iyengar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Power, Anusara, Viniyoga, Sivananda, Integral, Hot Yoga, Bikram, Ananda - and the list goes on! What’s a yogi or yogini to do?

First and foremost, rather than trying to somehow adapt your body or your life to some predefined system, open yourself to a practice that feels right for you by setting clear intention in your practice. Before giving yourself over to a guru, consider this twist on that term: gee, you are you. Honor that!

So rather than submitting to the proclaimed wisdom of a teacher or style, realize that your best teacher is alive and well inside of you. Much of the practice is about learning to listen to that inner-teacher, honoring what you hear and practicing your yoga with a sense of inner compassion and intelligence.

Second, consider “grazing”: go to several different classes, including some with the same style but different teachers. Also explore doing yoga at different times of the day to see how your bodymind responds in the morning versus the afternoon or evening.

Third, amidst the inevitable changes in your body, the quality of your mind and the vibrancy of your spirit, reflect on how you feel in your overall life. With a healthy practice, you will develop an appropriate balance of strength and flexibility, naturally cleanse yourself from the inside out, feel more at ease and find a growing sense of equanimity.

Today there’s a wonderful blending of yoga styles. For example, in Vinyasa Flow Yoga, we draw from Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in the conscious connection of breath to movement in the bodymind while seamlessly moving from pose to pose, steadily developing a deeply self-purifying internal heat. Blending the insights of Iyengar Yoga, we create a safe practice, honoring human anatomy and physiology in the sequencing of poses, structural alignment, modifications of poses and use of props to promote stability and ease. There’s also a creative element in Vinyasa Flow, tapping into the fluid, wave-like quantum energy pulsating throughout one’s being.

After grazing a bit, consider diving more deeply into whatever style or teacher most resonates with you. Explore what that teacher or style has to offer you while giving your teacher the chance to get to know you and your needs and interests better.

Along the way, open yourself to a heart-centered practice, honoring the truth and wisdom of your spiritual heart. Focus your breath in the heart center, breathing smoothly, steadily and expansively as if through your heart. With each inhale, each exhale and the moments of perfect stillness in between, feel the perfect truth of the present moment.

With practice, you can begin to visualize and enjoy the full embodiment of that awareness, bringing a deepening sense of inner truth, self-acceptance and loving kindness into all that you do in your life.