Embracing change

As we dive into the autumn season, I’ve been reflecting how the concept of change is a big part of my yoga practice.  

I was feeling under the weather last week, before that I was out of town, and before that I was extremely busy with work.  None of this is very spectacular or unusual for someone’s life, but it meant that my yoga practice was not as intense as I like it to be.  I tend to become agitated when I’m not practicing my yoga at my edge.

I am a yoga practitioner that enjoys the depth of daily practice.  Even though I like the challenge of a physical practice, sometimes my personal challenge is making space for my practice to change.  Which feels appropriate because, at its core, I see yoga as a practice of observing change.

My practice looks different at different times in my life. Instead of clinging to what I used to be, I make it a practice of embracing who I am becoming. I’m not saying this easy, it is actually very difficult for me! But I step up to this challenge because I don’t want to live in self-judgement, I do my yoga so that I feel freedom.

Sometimes we can’t unroll our mat and do our practice in the traditional sense, but the practice is still there.  Or our once vigorous practice needs to be slow and contemplative.  Or our therapeutic practice needs to push an edge.  Or maybe life feels like a lot to handle, and pausing to listen to the our breath is part of our yoga.

Just as the way the seasons shift from our hot summer to the crisp autumn air— how does your yoga practice flow and change during the seasons of your life?  As your yoga practice has developed over time, what do you celebrate about the ripening of your practice?

Would you like to join me on this yoga journey of becoming something new? I’m teaching a 6 week Yin Yoga series at Sierra College Grass Valley that starts November 1, 2024. Click here for more information and registration.