Can't remember, can you? At some point it used to be fun, right? Think back to your first yoga class. Something about the class, the environment, or the teacher drew you in. Look at you; you have been practicing for so long now! It must have been fun at some point! And then somewhere along the way things changed. It turned into something you had to schedule and stick to, something rigid and serious. You feel guilty when you skip a practice (been there, done that! read here: guilty yogi link), you tighten the muscles in your face and grind your teeth when your in Warrior II and you become frustrated when you can't balance in tree pose for a full minute, and angry at your neighbor who can. The voices outside the yoga room stress you out because you can't concentrate and the sound of your neighboring yogis ujjayi breathing is so annoying! Rather then feeling calm and relaxed you walk out of class with a scowl and raised blood pressure. Where did it all go wrong, and how can we get that lighthearted, easy going fun feeling back in our practice?
Maybe we can take a cue from children. When do they get upset? When do they frown or cry? When do they tighten up all the muscles in their face, get annoyed or angry or mad at each other? When they aren't having fun! Kids are all about fun and they don't take things so seriously! Yesterday in my children's yoga class we were practicing pranayama, or breathing activities called blowing scarves. The children use lightweight colored scarves to see what they can do with their breath. They separated into pairs, and one of them would blow their scarf across their mat and the other would catch and blow it back. Somewhere during this activity two little girls realized just how much fun it was to see how fast they could blow the scarves to each other and it became a race to see who could blow it over faster. Their breath became short and shallow, their postures went to mush and they slowly went from using their breath to throwing the scarves to each other. They broke out into fits of hysterical laughter. My first instinct was to redirect them back to the original purpose of the game but then I stopped myself. Their little faces were lit up with enjoyment, their smiles were contagious and their laughter was adorable to hear. Where, I thought, is the harm in letting them have a few more moments of enjoyment from this new game they created? So I let them laugh it out for a few more minutes and then I collected the scarves and we moved on. Throughout the remainder of the class I took note of how often the kids smiled, to themselves, to each other and to me. I noticed how often they laughed, or started humming or singing out loud. I noticed how they made comments to each other during their poses like "look what I can do" and "wow that looks so cool!" I was much more aware of their energy and their enthusiasm for each and every pose or activity we started. It was honest, it was refreshing, and it was beautiful. And there is no reason why we cannot approach our practice with the same amount of vigor and umph! There is no reason why we shouldn’t be smiling during our vinyasa, or sharing a secret with our neighbor about a trick we use in side plank pose. We can laugh at ourselves when we fall out of tree pose and take the opportunity to tell our friend that their chaturanga rocked!
Next time you hit the mat, start with a smile. Take a moment to breath, be thankful that you can and are practicing, and let your enthusiasm for the practice fill the room. Let the joy of the practice replace any of the fear, concern, seriousness or rigidness we have attached to yoga. Move through your asanas with a sense of joy and happiness. Approach each pose as if it were something new and exciting and allow your child-like spirit to shine through! Of course, it is completely up to you how you proceed from this point forward. If you prefer you can continue to practice with a closed off heart and a scowl on your face, counting the minutes until you can roll up your mat and get out of there! Even though I sometimes forget myself, I do prefer to recognize that time spent on our mat all about having fun, and we should enjoy it as much as we can!
Need some help adding that umph to your practice? Check out these helpful tips:
- Smile: Next time you catch yourself frowning during class, do something about it! Turn it into a smile and try your best to keep it on your face for the rest of your practice. You will notice a difference in your attitude and in your practice, I promise!
- Laugh: Feel free to laugh during class. Laugh at yourself, laugh at your neighbors, and laugh at your teacher (all in good spirit of course!) As soon as you release a little burst of joy the rest of the class will seem a lot more easy going! Next time you find yourself wobbling during tree pose or even falling right out of it, let out a good hearty laugh. Show yourself and others that you don't take it so seriously! If there is a teacher out there who discourages you from laughing in class, maybe he or she isn’t the right teacher for you anyway!
- Lead with the heart: Let the love and joy in your heart be the reason you practice. Allow yourself to find meaning in each practice and each asana. Dedicate your practice to someone you love. With every inhale and exhale think about all the things you have to be thankful for. When you put your heart into your practice it takes on a whole new meaning.
- Switch it up: Try a new style or a new class. Check out something that sounds interesting and exciting like acroyoga, ariel yoga or circus yoga. Try a class at a new studio or if you have the time and funds take a yoga retreat, near or far. If your short on time or funds, check out a new yoga dvd from the video store, library or look at your TV on demand! Make sure you’re looking for something that seems fun and appealing to you, something out of the norm. I suggest Shiva Rea fluid power or trans dance. This free flowing yoga dance is sure to open up your heart, bring a smile to your face and leave you feeling invigorated!
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