Part Two of the Evolution

How do we use our experience of being in our bodies to flourish?

How can we make sure the container of movement not only comforts and organizes but also empowers and liberates?

There's no denying the insanely powerful shifts many people experience when they pick up the practice of connecting to their bodies.

Whether it's yoga, tai chi, another martial art, contemporary dance, or a gazillion other things, one thing we often hear is,
"It changed me. The way I approach my whole life is different."

The incredible thing about our minds is that they're not compartmentalized.

What that means is
if I develop confidence in my ability to move in my body,
that confidence directly translates into other areas of my life.

Isn't that mind-blowing?!

This means that whatever type of sprinkles we choose to add into our movement experience (awareness, a sense of humor and not taking things too seriously, going with the flow, pausing, etc)
becomes a quality we can connect to more readily outside of our physical practice.


In this second part of our conversation about how yoga can evolve, I'd like to share two of my favorite personal evolutions.
They're the two I've found the most powerful in both my personal practice and my teaching.

Again, this is not saying that any method is better than another or that there is a right or wrong,
but rather an inquiry into what we've accepted as consumers
and whether there are alternatives that can even further enhance our quality of life.


Shift #1: Alternating between synchronistic harmony and independent, untamed tuning-in

There's something beautiful about being in a room with other people and moving and breathing together.

It can be very healing and very organizing for the nervous system.

And yet there's also something immensely glorious and profound about
moving to a unique rhythm of our own within a set of other moving, breathing humans.

The beauty of nature's harmony is not in its uniformity.
It's in the different rhythms of wind rustling leaves,
birds flying at different speeds,
horses galloping at another
while snails and butterflies do their own thing in their own time.

And all of this coexists together in a stunning display of nature's grandeur.
Independent rhythms in complete harmony.

And so my invitation to the inquiry that I would like to extend to you is this:
Can you find your own dance within the collective dance?

Maybe you choose a slightly different arm position in warrior 2 or find a very gentle, subtle pulse in your lunge while everyone holds still.

Not for the sake of doing things differently, but rather from a place of
allowing your movement to unfold from within.

When we unquestioningly follow instructions, we all look the same.
It's not humanly possible that we all need the exact same container.

To be clear, I'm not saying do a handstand when the class is in cat-cow (that's disruptive and disrespectful),
I'm simply inviting you to find your own little personal exploration within a similar container to what the class is exploring.

(And teachers, we can encourage this by
giving students the opportunities to repeat things at their own individual paces,
or to give them a minute or two before final rest to do whatever they would like to end their practice with.
This reminds students that we acknowledge that they're the experts on themselves, not anyone else in a position of so-called 'authority').

This keeps our open-mind and sense of curiosity (remember that adorable kid from my kids yoga class?) intact,
and opens us up to so much more possibility.

Remember, we're not compartmentalized.
If I'm able to make my own movement choices, I'm automatically empowered to make my own life choices.
Our brains don't separate the two.


Shift #2: Natural movement is non-linear

Again, the linear shapes of yoga poses and alignment can have an organizing, calming effect on the mind.
I think that's great and I think it's very beneficial and necessary.

But if the way we move in class is strictly restricted to these traditional shapes and if this is the main way we move our bodies, then we're moving in a two-dimensional way.
We're overtraining specific movement patterns and ignoring the balancing aspects of organic movement.

Our bodies are designed to move with fluidity.
In circular, rhythmic and freeflowing ways.

It's a lot less rigid and controlled than how we move on our yoga mats.

So my invitation to you is to explore finding more of the way we move in our daily lives on your mat.

Step out of the repetitive motion of the usual poses
and explore introducing waves or circles or whatever you find yourself coming up with as an addition to the things you already know and love.

(PS, this is a much more effective way to prevent injuries than 'yoga alignment.'
Our bodies are designed to move freely.
Rigidly restricting them to containers is what makes them less resilient, not gradually and safely introducing them to different options)

So get experimental,
get playful,
stay curious and open.

Remember, you are the expert on yourself, not anybody else.
Explore how you can forge your own path within the harmony of being in relation to the people around you.

Is this something you already do?
Is it something you'd like to try?
Is it the antithesis of everything you know and love?

I'm curious to hear how you experience this!