Nine Things I Learned from Practicing Yoga Every Day

https://www.yogiapproved.com/yoga/funny-yoga-memes/

Let’s be real. I am not a yogi. Not by any means. I can’t even do a head stand, or any pose that requires me to be upside down. But I do think yoga brings me calmness, composure and peace in this chaotic, challenging world. And it teaches me important lessons about life.

1. Do a little every day. It doesn’t matter how much time you can devote to it. What matters is to keep it up. Got hour and half? Great. Go to the heated room (that was, before quarantine) and knock yourself out doing hot yoga. You always feel like new afterwards. But if not, then do half an hour following Glo. Don’t even have half hour? Then take 15 minutes to stretch a bit. Every single bit helps. Better to do a little every day than to do a lot for one day and stop for a few days.
2. It’s not a competition. Whenever I do go to these classes, I am always humbled by what I see, what others can do. But the teacher always tells us, it’s not a competition. It’s not about seeing who can do what, for how long. It’s about yourself. It’s progress from the you from yesterday, but not you competing with the world.
3. There is no rush. Once you have slotted the however much time you have to this practice, then take your time. Do each pose slowly, with composure. There is no rush to do more of it. You are not going anywhere. Nothing to do. Nothing to worry.
4. One thing at a time. You don’t do two poses at the same time, right? So what’s the whole fuss about multi-tasking? One thing at a time, take your time, and do it well. Then on to the next thing.
5. Breathe. That’s the one thing that the teacher keeps on telling us. We tense up and stop breathing all the time. In Yoga, how deep you can get into a position almost always depends on how much you can relax. And how do you relax? Breathe. One breath in, one breath out. That simple. When you are stressing about something or freaking out about something, just take a moment, and breathe. That’s the truth about life, isn’t it?
6. What will come will come in due time. There are poses that you might be practicing for years and you just don’t get it. The toe stand, for example. How can you stand on five toes of one foot, hold your whole body up, and maintain balance and grace? It took me many, many years. But one day, magically, it just happened. It’s not that you can’t do it, it’s just that you are not there yet. Keep on practicing, and trust that what’s yours will come on its own time.
7. Somethings may never come, and that’s ok. My teacher will always say that there are things that just won’t happen for him. I believe that. Sometimes it’s because of your body, your composition, your history. Sometimes there is no obvious reason. But there are things that you see others do that you may never not be able to do, and that’s ok.
8. It’s a combination. When you excel at a beautiful pose like the dancer’s pose, is it strength, flexibility, or balance? The answer is all of the above. Focus on only one thing and you’ll never excel at it. You’ve got to practice all of them. When you achieve the optimal state of strength, flexibility and balance, that’s when you really reach the stance of beauty and grace.
9. You can do it anywhere, any time. Do you have to go to a studio to practice? Used to be my preferred method, but not any more. I am not practicing less during quarantine. You can also do it any time. My coworkers, that is, when we used to work in the office together, know that I do tree at my stand up desk. You don’t always have to have the right attire, spot, or dedicated time. I’d do a few poses at the airport. Yoga is not a sport. It’s an attitude, a way of life.