One of my fellow Iyengar yoga teachers in Rockford, Illinois prompted me to ask myself this question.
What do I expect from my yoga practice?
Do my expectations help keep me focused?
Do my expectations keep me from experiencing the reality of the moment?
Hmmmm….probably a combination of both.
About 10 years after I started yoga, I had a new thought. It was during a yoga class, and the teacher was having us do triangle pose for the umpteenth time.
I decided, “Maybe I will just do the next triangle pose without trying very hard and see what happens.” When I got into the pose with my experimental attitude, I felt a lightness and lift. There wasn’t as much strain in my legs.
It was my first tiny inkling that I just might be causing my own stress and strain because of a tendency to overwork. Duh! My teachers and friends had been telling me this for years but I could not hear them.
It took several thousand triangle poses, ten years of yoga classes, and a very patient teacher for me to even become aware of this one thing.
Was this what I expected from yoga?
Not really. I expected a yoga butt.
Oh well, maybe in the next lifetime. In this life, I am happy with the awareness that yoga provides.
To read Jennie’s article that inspired this post, click here.