IN THE FLOW

The path of yoga is often never a straight line. In fact, it is full of detours, back pedaling, circling, and zig-zagging. Over time, we begin to wonder how we get from here to there.

So what is the point of practice? For me, it is to experience ourselves as we practice: how we are in the moment at the edge of discovery, how we deal with being at our physical edge. How we use the breath, honor the breath, stay with the breath. The point of practice is to notice the transition, how we are in-between, in uncertainty and flow. The point of practice is to just practice, and watch what unfolds.

Gauging our yoga practice on the physical form, where we are in our asana (posture) practice, doesn’t make it yoga. It makes it something else. There is another reason we work on asana in our practice— to discover our edge. We might work towards more difficult and vigorous poses so that we might continue to experience ourselves at our edges, in difficult moments. It is tool to see ourselves more clearly- like shining a light in the dark. It reveals everything.

When we are able to work in our practice with less attachment to the outcome, the flow really starts to unfold. We might find ourselves in new forms we never thought possible, or in a new state of seeing ourselves and our lives that before seemed impossible. Possibility opens up, and we unfurl. We experience the beauty of flow, and the essence of who we are.

The challenge in yoga is often to grip less, strive less, and allow more. Create the opportunity of exploration, but release expectation. Take the pressure off yourself to perform, but instead allow the breath, body and heart lead the way in the flow of things. You might just be surprised where you end up.