Choice, choice, choice. It’s what we’re told consumers want. But too much choice can be overwhelming or cause confusion and often panic. There are so many choices of technique and style in moving the body and following the breath that at times you might wonder “where do I start“?
But again and again I’m reminded that just doing the simplest things well in yoga can make the biggest difference. Sure it’s nice to learn new poses or mudras or pranayamas (breathing techniques) but just breathing and moving mindfully with your full attention takes you effortlessly into a zone of focus and calm unlike most of the rest of your waking day. In my experience, deep healing and self-understanding seem to happen in this space, and some say this is the Spiritual path starting to unfold as we learn the Truth of our nature and our minds.
Leave the circus-skills to others and refine what works for you
If you keep changing what you do and how you do it in a never-ending drive to learn fancy techniques and postures, it’s hard to observe what really suits you and what gets the results you want. So don’t feel you’re being a stick-in-the-mud by repeating a class or a practice. This repetition -or “practice’ – is precisely what delivers the best results. And often that means just doing the foundations brilliantly.
Leave the circus-skills to others and refine what works for you and learn to do it simply and brilliantly, to the exclusion of all else. Only when you really master this and are in danger of getting stale need you add more spice to your practice.I sometimes think yoga is no more than remembering (consciously) to breathe out every time you breathe in!
You know the phrase Keep It Simple Stupid. It applies to many things, including Yoga. So enjoy the pleasure of familiarity, and get really good at doing the basics well. I sometimes think yoga is no more than remembering (consciously) to breathe out every time you breathe in!
If you can master that, then you can achieve anything.
