Last month, I took a month off of attending any yoga classes. It started off unintentionally — life got busy and I currently don’t belong to any specific studios. My break turned into an intentional pause to make time for me to tune back into my yoga practice. My personal practice (practicing on my own with no set sequence) had slowly begun to fade and I decided to make an intentional choice to reconnect to it. My break definitely had it’s benefits…but read on to find out why you’ll never keep me from yoga classes 🙂
Exploring Different Poses
I’m the type of yoga student who really likes to follow along with the teacher. I don’t do my own thing throughout the entire class or ignore the instructor’s flow. Personally, I find it a little distracting when others do that and I enjoy following along with teachers and learning from their unique teaching style. That being said, I always modify or explore the poses they cue depending on what my body needs that day. Practicing yoga over the last five-ish years and completing yoga teacher training has taught me a wide variety of poses. Many yoga classes include a lot of the same postures, and for good reason — it’s a practice that allows us to grow and evolve familiar poses every time we step onto our mats. All classes are sequenced and taught differently depending on the teacher, but many vinyasa classes have a similar flow. Teachers are limited on time and can’t include every fun or tricky pose in the book. By regularly attending classes and neglecting my personal practice, I wasn’t taking the time to explore some fun poses that I wanted to work on, including some poses I really enjoy. Dedicating more time to practicing at home has allowed me to incorporate more unique poses that typically aren’t practiced in class, challenging my practice both physically and mentally.
Focusing My Practice
If you practice yoga, there are probably some days when you crave a back-bend focused class or a hip opening class. Although many teachers theme their classes, it may not be the area of the body that you want to focus on that day. As a yoga teacher, I totally get it! We create sequences to the best of our abilities, but as a student, sometimes we’re craving something a little more targeted. If you read this post, you know I love oneOeight and the variety of themed classes they offer. Over these last few weeks, I’ve also discovered the amazing variety of themed classes on YouTube! You can pretty much search for any theme (heart opening, shoulder opening, inversions, etc.) and find a ton of great options that are created with whatever your body is in the mood for that day, and at no cost. I really enjoy online classes because teachers often include creative sequences that target what your body needs that day. And online classes are a great way to practice with renowned yoga teachers you may not have the opportunity to learn from in-person 🙂
Getting My Personal Practice Back
Since I put off my personal practice to attend classes in a studio, I wasn’t gathering much internal inspiration for my own teaching. In my teacher training, our lead teacher really stressed the importance of making time to practice on your own. As a yoga teacher, it’s instrumental for me to be in tune with my body and take time to flow on my own without outside instruction. My personal practices fosters creativity, provides the space for me to dive deep into how my body feels, and connects me to how I really that day. If you have a regular practice, I highly recommend spending some time on your mat by yourself and just move in a way that feels good. Don’t get me wrong, I love practicing with others, but it’s also nice to pick your own playlist and move intuitively without any outside distractions.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
- I missed the community! I missed moving and flowing in a room full of beautiful yogis powered by breath. Yoga has provided such great community in my life and I really missed the environment.
- I need to dedicate time for my personal practice — even when I don’t feel like thinking and it’s easier to just go to a studio or take an online class, because those are the opportunities to really check in with how I’m feeling and draw inspiration from within.
- There’s room for every type of practice. Studio classes, online classes and my personal practice all deserve their own time and space. My goal is to find a balance that works for me. I know that it will change each week depending on my schedule/how I’m feeling and I’m totally ok with that. 🙂
- In-studio classes are so fun because you never really know what you’re going to get! You may become familiar with a teacher’s style but maybe that day they’re teaching a powerful flow or a slow, relaxing class, so it’s fun to mix it up! I love going to class and getting excited about what the practice might hold that day.
- Another thing I missed about practicing in a studio — assists! Whether it’s a press in downward dog or a great assist in savasana, I love hands-on adjustments that allow me to deepen my postures. Practicing with a teacher in-person is also crucial to make sure you’re practicing safe alignment.
I appreciate my little break from studios and the lessons it taught me, but it’s safe to say I will always return back to the studio. There’s nothing quite like that connection, community and inspiration.
Sending love!
Morgan