SEATED
If you cannot sit comfortably, this should be the first thing you work on to begin deepening your flexibility and subtle strength building. There are a multitude of reasons why sitting tall can be a challenge. Sometimes it’s hip issues, sometimes it’s back issues, sometimes it’s knee issues. Good news is, we can work with any of these! You should never be in pain in your seated position. Regardless of “why” here are a few different options:
- Try rolling up a blanket to sit on. This often helps instantly for most people who find sitting crossed legged a challenge (if it’s a back or hip issue).
- If knees or hips are the issue sit on a rolled-up blanket, but also add yoga blocks under the knees for added support. This supports the hips just as much as the knees.
- If crossed legs is the issue, you could straighten the legs out in front of you, and place a rolled blanket under the knees (so they are bent slightly), or two small towels, placing one under each knee.
- If none of those options offer ease, then start in a chair and gradually work towards sitting on the floor.
LAYING ON BACK
If laying on your back is painful, you could modify by bending your knees and keeping feet on the floor (let knees relax towards each other to support their own weight, that way your body can relax more instead of “holding” the legs in position). You could also place a pillow, a yoga bolster, or a rolled up blanket under the knees. That is a great alternative for many. You can also keep the prop there during our leg stretches for additional support.
FLEXIBILITY
The best way to become more flexible is to breathe deeply, move slowly, and pay attention to what is happening in your body. In our yoga classes, I aim to keep you safe by offering more general and accessible stretches that most people can do comfortably. However, this doesn’t always offer you the opportunity to deepen your flexibility once you’ve mastered the basic postures. It’s worth noting, I personally am not that flexible, and tend to not push myself because I have hurt myself in the past (my second year doing yoga I gave myself a hernia trying to touch my toes to my head in a “king cobra” and I occasionally still hurt my back trying to deepen my forward bends)… so as a teacher, I shy away from the “push” knowing if we are not respecting our bodies limitations, we will hurt it. Be mindful! Leave your ego at the door, and listen humbly to what your body tells you as you move.
STRENGTH BUILDING
This is where we are most likely to hurt ourselves! We want to feel the burn, or sculpt our abs, or push ourselves to get stronger and stronger. In our classes the strength building is always gentle and subtle (but it is there). Our leg lifts, hands and knees, and locust work are a few examples of strength building. Even just sitting tall involves core effort, so don’t dismiss the work you DO in every class! Yoga is based around the spine, meaning the strength building starts in the muscles of the back. Once those muscles are strong, we can move into safe core work. If you have a weak back, and you jump into core work, you could hurt your back more. So again, it is really important to be mindful and respectful of your body and its limitations. One step at a time! As I introduce more strength building, I will always give you options so please remember to work at your level and not the person beside you.
STILLNESS & RESTORATIVE
Stillness can be really challenging. If you have physical discomfort, emotional grief, or mental agitation, you will not want to “relax” or surrender to those painful experiences. Right? I always say “comfort is key” so I do encourage you to be mindful of these resistances preventing you from relaxing or enjoying a restorative practice.
For the physical discomfort I recommend using as many props as you need to get comfortable: pillows under head and knees, or a bolster to prop you up, blocks under the hands, or blankets for cushioning or warmth.
For the emotional aspects, I like to remind people that our classes are a safe place to release if you are comfortable with us. The only way to find comfort emotionally, is to allow them out! Let them move on. Get them out of your body – usually it surfaces in tears, but it could be other ways too. Don’t view your emotions as bad, just as energy in motion. Repressing these painful emotions only gives them more power over your life, and prevents you from finding comfort once again. It’s okay to FEEL.
For the mental agitation (so common!) we often work on “retraining the mind” by using “one point of focus.” Thoughts can be unrelenting, and like the emotions they can have a very negative affect on how we feel. If we can learn to recognize our thoughts and how they are affecting us, we can start to move beyond their grip. I recommend focusing on breathing. However, you could also focus on a work or mantra or an intention. Something you can repeat in the mind, over and over again. A way to help other thoughts drift to the background, and have less power or you. YOU are ultimately in control of your own mind. Yoga and meditation can help with this.
The Gentle Way of Hatha 