(Yin) yoga is all about stopping frettin’

(Yin) yoga is all about stopping frettin’ - David Williams

I have flirted with many. I have dipped my toe in, and tested them for size. But this weekend, I met my match.

I have, I think, found a style of yoga that really speaks to me. And, even better, I have found my tribe. I spent this weekend, surrounded by others who speak my language: Ours is the language of xi, fascia, meridians and Sanskrit.

Yin prioritises function over aesthetics. It is about the HOW rather than the WHAT. And this is why I have fallen in love.

I am never going to be super bendy. I have plenty of strength, and whilst I will, if I continue to practice regularly, develop greater flexibility I need to acknowledge my mechanical limitations. These are non-negotiable. They are, after all, part of my genetic inheritance: I was not born to bendy folk.

But within those limitations, I can still achieve a perfect practice. For this is where the subtle but all important difference is made. Yin focuses on the intention with which we step onto the mat.

It is our intention that shapes our attitude. And its our attitude that determines the results. I practice yoga not for physical flexibility but for the psychospiritual benefits I derive from encountering myself through the asanas.

By getting caught up in the nuances of precise alignment, there is a great risk that we lose the point of yoga which was not, until very recently, ever conceived of as a physical workout. Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. And, when we place this as the explicit aim of our practice there is far more room to celebrate each person's and each body's unique beauty and potential. Us not-ever-going-to-be-bendys included.

Comments

Table. Apple. Penny.

Whilst there were several places I might have been that morning, I wouldn't have been anywhere else. The practitioner from the Memory Service arrived promptly. I liked her instantly. Mum was nervous. I think I was a little, too. It's been a difficult year. "It's Friday, it's the fourteenth of December and I'm at home..." No problems there. CAMCOG, or the Cambridge Cognitive Examination is a thorough assessment tool used to assess the extent of extent of dementia, and to assess the level of cognitive impairment. The standardised measure assesses orientation, language, memory, praxis, attention, abstract thinking, perception and calculation. "Table. Apple. Penny." Three everyday items that were introduced at one point, and then referred to again later on. Again, Mum was able to recall each. I am reminded that the...

Glass half full? Glass half empty? Or perhaps the glass is broken

I am, constitutionally, a glass half empty gal. I will always first acknowledge what I don't have, what I have lost, and what it is that I am seeking. I tend to overlook my strengths, concentrating only on those bits of me that are underdeveloped or weak. I refer to myself as a realist, but in doing so compliment myself and insult those who genuinely are simply realistic. My modus operandi is to identify what's not working and acknowledge this before seeing more clearly what functions perfectly well. This has its place: I edit others' written work pretty well. My fastidious attention to detail serves me, and the author. Accuracy counts, for me and I have an excellent memory. I can remember a great many of my sessions with clients verbatim. Even this asset is something I can, and do, diminish the true value of, by concentrating on 'I should have said...' or 'why didn't.... occur to me during the session?' Earlier this we...

Pausing in the sunshine

And so, chemo is over. My best friend's diary has been chocker... Line cleans, blood tests, scans and 18 weekly doses of the gruelling treatment itself. Summer seems at last to have arrived and with it, we hope, some time, peace and space. She is, we acknowledged over a rather yummy luncheon served to us beneath the beautiful canopy of creepers and climbers at Petersham Nurseries, an inspiration. A small group of us gathered to celebrate her forthcoming marriage. The sun's rays joined the warmth we all have for this very special woman. Warmth and, in my case at least, pride. It is the greatest privilege to call this woman my best friend. She continues to epitomise my understanding of grace. Our bodies are fragile things. Our minds are frailer still. In her composure and wisdom, she possesses an outlook I can only aspire to adopt. From you, dear Charlotte, I learn and I learn and I learn. The ...

The Reward is the Journey

Search This Blog