Most people mistakenly think yoga is about flexibility. Many yoga studios and classes focus on this one aspect due to most people having decreased range of motion from sitting too long at work and at home.
Yoga needs to have a harmonious balance of muscular engagement and stretching, for the individual. Do not aim for just a deep stretch; you need to engage your muscles to support and protect your joints. Most injuries during yoga happen to people who have a lot of flexibility and inadequate strength, not people who have less flexibility. Strength is also a requirement for increased bioelectricity. You need to find your balance between flexibility and strength, never one to the detriment of the other.
For muscular engagement, you can find information online for each and every pose, or by talking with a knowledgeable yoga instructor. Studying anatomy, including of the spine, and alignment is very helpful. You want to ensure you have the sensation of space between each vertebra, but not overstretch to cause damage. When getting into alignment, generally you will want to start your focus with your feet first and work your way up.
Yes this can add up to a lot of time, but ask yourself:
-Would you rather keep doing yoga in a sloppy way and potentially cause injuries?
-Or would you rather put in quality time getting to know your individual body better and learning how to benefit your form the most?
As for “correct” alignment, many yoga practitioners have a snobbish attitude as to what this entails. No, it is not “Iyengar’s books only” or what is seen as “traditional Hatha” (most asanas are recent, I will explain in a future post). Iyengar is very useful, but is not actually full-form correct for most people, due to skeletal differences and other individual nuances.
What is truly correct, is what is most appropriate for you and your unique body. When in an asana ask yourself if you are breathing steadily and deeply, and able to continue doing so for more than a few breaths. If not, adjust the pose to fit you better. The truest form of a pose, is what benefits you the most. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to yogasana.
Yoga changes not just the shape (poses, asana) of your body, it changes the flow of prana. Contemplate that when in your next practice. Prana is in the breath (breathing exercises are called pranayama), so it makes sense to aim to be able to breathe correctly in each asana.
Don’t go into yoga with strict left brain hemisphere thinking. Everyone needs to develop and tune into your right brain hemispheres. We are supposed to have equal brain function, not lopsided. Draw within and use your senses to determine if you need to adjust or modify any asana you are practicing.
Another point: I have noticed among members here, many of you doing what you think you ought to be doing. This is wrong. Tune in to yourself each day, multiple times a day and try to sense what you should do. This might blow your mind, but a yoga practice is not supposed to be the exact same every day. We are not inorganic robots, we are organic beings with incredibly nuanced bodies (physical, mental, subtle, etc bodies) and many differences day to day.
You are supposed to do what will actually benefit you, in this moment of now. 🙏
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