You can get hurt doing yoga???? Really???

According to the New York Times, yoga can wreck your body.  Honestly, I'm appalled that the NY Times would publish such an article.  Granted it was balanced enough in its view on the subject, but for anyone who was on the fence and contemplating taking yoga in the new year; just the title of the article alone will scare them away.

Given the negative press yoga received, I have made it my mission this week to speak to my students about the article in case any of them read it and to provide a realistic perspective on the issue.  Yes, you can can hurt yourself doing yoga.  The article cited extreme instances where people have gotten injured and perhaps done themselves permanent harm.  These cases were ones where students of yoga were either being poorly advised by under trained teachers or trying to advance their practice on their own without the guidance of a decent teacher.  It's no surprise that these people have "wrecked" their bodies.  Let's use common sense people and listen to our bodies which actually communicate with us better than most people.  Many of the big corporate run gyms only require that yoga instructors be AFAA certified.  An AFAA certification is an online course with a one day workshop!!  It's a joke.  It's not enough training to ensure that students are practicing as safely as possible.   If you are going to take a yoga class or work to advance your practice, please make sure your teacher is at least 200hr. certified.....500hr. certified is even better.

Another problem that most people face is their ego.  The ego is a double edged sword.  It's wonderful in survival situations where it is imperative to succeed, but when faced with challenges of executing impossible asana that our bodies may not be ready for, the ego can talk us into pushing ourselves further than we should.  We end up competing with ourselves and the other yogis around us who's practice may be more advanced.  That's how injuries happen.  One of my students said most injuries follow seven words....,"Hey, I'm getting really good at this."

Now, I'm not saying don't strive to advance your practice, but one must be mindful of when the ego is driving the car and if it's heading for a cliff.  Yoga is such a healing practice.....and if all you are seeking are the healing benefits of yoga, there is no need to make it advanced.  Gentle yoga, basics classes or any myriad of the gentler forms of Hatha yoga are are all good options for healing the body.  But if advancing your practice is something you are interested in, you must consult a knowledgeable teacher and work with them to ensure a safe advancement in your practice.  It's just common sense.

Thank you for reading.

May joy coarse through your veins as you explore and experience a deeper sense of yourself through your practice.

Namaste!

Kristen

Don't Try So Hard.

As I reflect upon my yoga practice over the past year, one piece of advice, given to me by one of my yoga teachers, has made all the difference in how I approach my life. Four simple words, "Don't try so hard."

This phrase, said to me while I was stretching forward with all my might in either Pigeon pose or Agnistambhasana, was initially grating and I took exception to her words. I felt as though she was criticizing me on a very personal level.

"What was she trying to say to me? Don't try so hard? Bah! Who is she to judge me?", I fumed through the rest of class and left feeling like some shameful secret had been exposed for everyone to see.

The fact was, everyone could see this about me, but I hadn't seen it until that moment. It was so painfully true. I often try so hard, especially when I get really excited about new developments in my life. Let's call it being overly eager. It could be friends, work, school, hobbies or any myriad of things. The fact of the matter is that you could take any aspect of my life, insert, 'don't try so hard.' and it will most likely pertain to that aspect.

It is the curse of the overly-eager perfectionist. I don't cut myself a lot of slack and I expect to see my desires to manifest quickly and when they don't, I will push and try to force them into existence. That approach is like a child throwing a temper tantrum in order to get their way, and we all know how that plays out. In this case, the Universe is the loving parent that won't put up with any shit. So when I try to force my desires to manifest, the Universe takes from me the very thing I want.When I look back on my life, there are several instances where my eagerness came back to bite me. In trying so hard to be the perfect wife and mother, I wound up in a depression. When I tried so hard to be friends with another mom, she brushed me off before we could ever get our kids together. When I tried so hard to advance my yoga practice (whether I was ready or not), I got injured. When I tried so hard to market my jewelry, I was politely declined.The most recent thing to happen came when I tweaked my shoulder during a yoga class and I went to my teacher for help. Only problem is that I always go to this teacher for help when I have pain or discomfort associated with my yoga practice. I hold him in very high regard in terms of his knowledge of such things. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm still learning and eager to tap into my teacher's knowledge. This time, however, he insisted that I try to figure out the issue on my own using the knowledge and tools I gained from teacher training to try to correct my shoulder, but to come to him if my attempts were unsuccessful. During our conversation, he mentioned that when I "bombard" him with my issues at every turn, he tends to want to pull away and retract from me instead of help me. Ding, ding, ding......that would be the Universe calling and my teacher's words suddenly echo in my head again, "Don't try so hard."

It takes a concerted effort on my part to stay mindful of how eager I become in new and exciting situations. Oftentimes, I will misread a situation or miss subtle cues from others that in hindsight were perfectly clear, but by then it's simply too late. It's okay to be excited, of course, but I need to stay aware of whether or not I'm trying to force something to come into being. My jewelry may have been politely declined by those I was trying to sell to, but then I wore one of my bracelets to a yoga class and got four orders. I wasn't trying. I simply made something I loved, wore it, and many others loved it, too.
I'm finding more and more, that if there is something I hope to gain, I put it to the Universe nicely, "It would be really nice if__________.", and then I let it go. I won't give it another thought and if it happens, it happens; if not, it's simply not the right time. My trying to force things into being is simply my lack of faith that the Universe will provide for me what I truly need and desire. With faith, doors begin to swing wide open and opportunities present themselves effortlessly! Just because I can't see my desires manifesting, doesn't mean that they aren't and it requires not only faith, but also patience on my part to allow the Universe to work it's magic. Adrsta phala is the sanskrit word for unseen fruit and the same way I can't force a tomato or a flower to grow, I also can't force the natural evolution of my desires into fruition.

To your continued growth and well being.

Namaste!

Kristen