Most of the yoga practice happens off of the mat. The yoga practice happens in the "ordinary moments" - interacting with your boss, your partner, and your family, waiting in traffic, responding to emails, grocery shopping. One of my teachers says that the yoga mat is the "laboratory for life." What shows up on the yoga mat is often what is already showing up in our lives. If we tend to get irritable in a challenging pose, chances are we tend to get irritable during challenging conversations as well. If we tend to start mentally drafting emails during savasana, chances are we are mentally distracted during beautiful moments with our loved ones also. We come to the yoga mat to practice what we need to learn in our lives.
So what are we really doing on the yoga mat besides triangle pose and downward dog? We are observing how we show up moment by moment and practicing how to respond to life with grace and presence. Every time we are negatively triggered (so anytime we feel any hint of irritation, frustration, self-loathing, etc.) the practice is to observe the emotion and invite in love and compassion. Every time we positively triggered (so anytime we feel a hint of love, joy, excitement, etc.) the practice is to observe the emotion and invite in gratitude
We practice this skill of presence on the mat so that we can practice it off the mat. When we can practice yoga off the mat, the ordinary moments start to look extraordinary. Every single moment is an opportunity to practice your yoga.
With love,
Hana
p.s. I would love to practice yoga with you! Check out my free practice bundles HERE.
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