As a long time yogi, I’ve noticed a trend in the past few decades where yoga is presented as a workout and opportunity to do more, be flexible or show off. While these exercises surely have their time and place, I wanted to share a few tips that have helped me dial in to all that is happening inside when experiencing a yoga posture or sequence. For me, especially in the days since COVID has arrived, it’s all about slowing down to get to the juicy parts of the pose. So here’s my three tips to help treat yourself to all the benefits that slowing down can reveal to you both on and off the Yoga mat.

1. Breathe. Yes, breathing is still first, last and everything in between when it comes to spending your time on or off of your yoga mat. By focusing on our breath, we allow the bodies natural healing mechanisms to activate. This homeostatic process is often autonomous when we aren’t conscious, but the yogi’s of the past have left an amazing roadmap to help guide our inner journey. Slow, steady and mindful breath helps us learn how to be still. Regulated breathing also helps us to focus. And, of course, breath helps regulate our heart beat which circulate blood and oxygen to our brain, organs and extremities thereby revitalizing each and every precious cell of our bodies.
2. Feel. Feeling on a yoga mat entails tuning into particular sensations, vibrations or emanations that are arising, passing and transforming as we endeavor in any pose. Sometimes it is an ooh, sometimes it is an ahh. Sometimes it is a shake or a tremble and other times it shows a whisper.  Please note, however, that feeling don’t speak your native tongue. If you find yourself saying mentally, that you wish the pose was different or that you aren’t flexible enough or any other chatter about what you are going to eat for lunch or something, that is not a feeling that is thinking. Feeling communicates in its own language all together. It is the way your body lets you know to go deeper or back off. It is the heart of your experience while you are experiencing it. There is no substitute for feeling, it is the key that will help you uncover all that yoga has in store for you.
3. Allow. This is perhaps the hardest of the 3 keys I am offering. What does it mean to allow?  Let’s start with permission. Give yourself permission to be exactly as you are when you get on your mat. Cut loose of the mental chatter (see #2 above) and let your body experience what is real for it in the moment. Not yesterday, next month or even 5 minutes ago. Ask yourself to let go of expectations and just meet the moment as it is.  When using the 2 tips above in earnest, allowing can become effortless. With breath and a focus on feeling, suddenly time starts to slow down and we can see clearly in the now. With practice, we enter into a formless flow that some have called “meditation in motion.” This is where the artist becomes one with their art, so deeply engrossed in their experience that they become witness and allow the creative muse to completely guide their process. Same truths hold in yoga, the poser becomes the posture while the meditator merges with the meditation. In this place, there truly is no separation and yoga or union happens naturally.

All together, these 3 simple tips can have a really transformative effect for beginner and advanced yogis alike.  Tune in below for a great practice to get started on going slower and see how these 3 cues can work for you.

Slowing down can be satisfying. It helps tune us into the abundance that already exists. In these changing times, it can be a life saver and create the space for the healing we most need to experience. Try it and share your thoughts on how slowing down on and off your mat is working for you.