Be honest...
I say - with unwavering confidence - that YES. It IS. It's really, REALLY tough. And, it's tough for everyone. Do you know WHY it's so tough?
It's because, if you're like me, you go to class with an expectation. You have a goal. You want toned arms or legs. You want to lose weight. You want to burn off some calories. You want to relieve some stress. You want to see that pretty girl or easy-on-the-eyes guy you saw in class the last time you went.
Well... I've picked up something over years of practicing as well as going through teacher training, and that is this. Having a goal for your yoga practice defeats the entire purpose of practicing yoga in the first place.
How is that? Rolf Gates, author of Meditations from the Mat (one of our required readings for yoga teacher training), says the way we get the most out of a yoga practice is to have no expectations for it. "Unfortunately, the reasonable desire for ego-gratifying results must be abandoned in yoga. If we are really practicing yoga and abiding by the principles of yoga, then we are making a commitment to focus on the nature of our efforts and not the nature of the results. The sort of attachment to progress this student describes is not only antithetical to the true aim of yoga, it is also a one-way ticket to injury and burn out. When we focus on what we can get out of yoga, we miss the point. We also place ourselves in physical danger while sabotaging our relationship to our practice. To realize the beauty of yoga in our lives, we must never forget that the prize is in the process."
The process, huh? So, it appears that the real enjoyment of yoga comes just from the DOING of it, not of what we strive to get out of it. It's similar to the saying, "it's not the destination, it's the journey."
This particular passage by Rolf resonated with me because I originally began going to yoga classes seven years ago with a specific goal in mind. I wanted to strengthen my lower body to prevent injuries because I had started marathon training. The miles I was running each day and each week were increasing and I was scared because my piriformis muscle (one of the muscles of your glutes) was starting to get really sore. I was afraid if it got any more sore, I might become injured, which would sideline me for weeks, preventing me from preparing for my marathon. A friend suggested I try yoga, because that really helped stretch and strengthen his glutes and hamstrings as he had had the same problem I was facing.
I took his word for it and attended a heated Power Vinyasa flow class with him. And... it was SO DARN HARD you guys. Oh. My. Gosh!
I was actually kind of happy it was tough, however, as I liked having my body worked. But, MAN, did it ever astound me exactly how much mental toughness it took for me to be able to get through all the holding of the poses and the heat. In that class, I worked muscles I never knew I could work. This is why yoga can be so difficult to people who are marathon runners, CrossFit athletes, or other extremely physically fit people. It can be very humbling!
Fast forward to now, seven years later. A few days ago, my husband asked me how "good" I thought I was at yoga. My answer?
I said, "I have no idea."
He said, "Well, I bet you're better at it than my mother." (Occasionally her and I practice together.)
I said, "You're wrong." I told him she's MUCH better at yoga than I am.
You might be wondering how a woman 25 years older than me, who's been practicing for less than a year, can be better than I am at yoga.
I am reminded of what's been taught to me about yoga from the beginning. There's no goal in yoga. I'm STILL learning this.
I feel my mother-in-law is "better" than me at yoga because she's SO much more mindful about her practice. I know she does NOT go in with a goal in mind when she practices. In each pose, she just goes to what feels good. I, on the other hand, push my limits whenever I can, trying to always do the advanced version of each pose. She is much better at realizing the "prize is in the process." And she enjoys her practice so very, very much, even if she does it less often than I do and she's a little older than I am.
The point of yoga is not to push. The point is to serve yourself. To listen to your body. To do what you can.
Those of you who find yoga tough might find that you go into yoga wanting to be good at it. You want to get the poses right. You want to look like everyone else in class. You want to NOT stand out as the newbie. Well, I've got a news flash for you – no one else there cares about your practice! No one is watching you. It’s all in your head. My mother-in-law has it right! Just do what serves you. Who cares what others think? What is the point of having an expectation for your yoga class? If you place expectations on something, you're just setting yourself up for potential disappointment.
The same goes for me, too. I'm still learning. I'm still "new" to finding the "prize in the process."
In closing, I do have some sad news. This will be my last Saga of a Sassy Student yoga teacher training blog entry. I graduated from yoga school a few days ago, and am no longer a student. I'm now Sassy Sarah - yoga teacher!
My final thoughts are this. (How Jerry Springer, huh?) Even if you've never gone to a yoga class, or you've gone to one, or, you've gone to thousands of them, it's my hope that you go to every class with an open mind and an open heart. It has been the only way for me to truly enjoy any yoga practice I've ever done, whether I did it at home or in a studio.
I've also noticed that this "non-expectation" mindset has helped me with the rest of my life, too. It's really quite cool.
If I don't see you rocking out with me on the yoga mat, I hope to see you out there smiling!
Namaste!
Sarah
