Finding balance on the mat

Finding balance in your yoga practice is not easy, and I don’t mean balancing on one leg in tree pose. I want us to consider balance on different levels: being able to see what is good for you, what really serves your body, your mind, and where your limit is.

Traditional Ashtanga Yoga teachings advise us to have only one teacher whom we follow on our yoga path. Many students are lucky to find this teacher right away and stick with them, but for me this was, and still is, a journey.

I have more than one teacher; why? I am not looking for anything more, I am absolutely happy right where I am in my practice. It just happened that I found all these great teachers and I don’t believe I should be forced to choose. I highly respect every one of them: each one has in some way changed my practice and approach to yoga. They each have their own stories, their own approach. I listen to their teachings, taking it all in, but always checking with myself first. How do I feel about this topic, does it seem and feel right, do I agree? I don’t feel I can follow anyone 100% in everything, as sometimes I just don’t agree. I believe we should all have an opinion and listen to what is right to us individually as we are all very different. I find myself in between, I take in all the knowledge and use what my body and my mind know is right for me. That is how I practice and how I myself teach my students. I believe that listening to yourself, first and foremost, is the first step to a balanced approach on the mat.

Learning Ashtanga Yoga from the source, from a direct line of teachers, is an important tradition to uphold, lest we lose the essence of this practice. At the same time, I don’t think we have to agree with everything that we are taught, as sometimes a different approach is needed. Every teacher, even the most traditional, will have their own story to tell, passing on their own experiences.

What got me thinking about this is the topic of pain and the approach to physical discomfort during asana practice. Should we practice postures deeply no matter what, accepting the pain as part of the practice? Or should we listen to our body when feeling overwhelmed in an intense posture? How do you practice? Do you always put in your one hundred percent? Is that even possible?

I used to practice giving it all I’ve got, putting everything into in, no matter what. I went on this way for the first few years, feeling both energised and exhausted at the same time. After moving abroad, I finally stumbled upon a teacher who showed me how to practice with more kindness and understanding towards myself.

Today, I finally understand that the most important thing is to have empathy towards yourself. It’s about finding the balance between giving it all you’ve got and accepting your body’s limitations on this specific day. Each day will be different, on some days you’ll flow through the practice and on others it will be slow, hard, and so very exhausting. What is most important is learning to accept that it’s okay. Each practice is a new experience, each day totally different.

I found my balance by practicing with a big heart, compassion, and empathy towards myself. That is also the basis of my teaching and what I try to pass on to my students.

Should we enter an asana no matter any discomfort or pain? I myself believing it all depends on your limit on this specific day: can you go through a bit of discomfort and move out of your comfort zone? Give it a try, but don’t approach it the same way each day, no matter what. As for pain, it’s a signal from our body to back off, that something is not right, so never ignore it. The practice is about learning about yourself, knowing your body best, how you can deepen a posture by finding space in the body.  The Yoga Sutras say that the asana should be steady and comfortable, so make sure you feel that way even when you want to go deep into a posture. Find your breath, find your own balance.

One of my teachers said that you’ve got to put in the effort, a lot of hard work into your practice. How much you get out of your practice depends on how much you put into it. I agree, but it is not the only truth. For me the truth is somewhere in the middle. We might set out on a Monday morning with intentions to give our 100% to the practice but somewhere during the week life happens. We might be sad, or angry, or tired, or get a cold, and it’s just not possible. So, what is left to us? Practice what you can every day, and just be kind to yourself.

During the year, as the season change, our bodies change with them and it all shows on the mat. Life changes us and our practice, we will all get older, and our practice can’t be the same forever. So, here we can practice non-attachment. Non-attachment to how we felt in an asana, when we could bind, if the leg stayed behind our head or not. It will always change at some point, you will never be able to give all your effort to your practice, every day.

I think it’s all about finding balance. Balance between that one hundred percent of your effort and being kind to your body and not pushing yourself too far, and sometimes just pulling back when you don’t feel well.

Once a year I travel to Mysore to practice yoga at KPJAYI. Whether it’s for a month, or two, my time there is strictly dedicated to the practice of yoga. There are no distractions, just practice, practice, practice. So, for this time I can give it my fullest, I can practice at my own one hundred percent. I can focus everything I’ve got on the practice, because that is the whole reason I am there. But when I return home I am not able to do this every day, some days I will feel energised and full of power, others I will barely get through the standing sequence. This is me, this is my body, this is how I feel on a specific day. And I learn to accept that.