YogaDork Ed: For the edification of yoga practitioners, teachers and yogi dabblers!
By Jill Miller, Creator of Yoga Tune Up®
Is your yoga practice getting a little stale? Maybe you’ve been going to the same class at the same time each week for the past year. Or perhaps you use a video — the same video — every day. If you’re finding yourself a tad uninspired to get on your mat, you might be suffering from yoga block.And I don’t mean a yoga block “prop,” although if you’re really in a rut then your practice may need a little propping up!
The biological basis for the rut
Our minds and our bodies actually require novelty in order to continue to grow and remain stimulated. One of the reasons that cross-training is so effective for athletes is that it constantly re-challenges their body’s tissues to negotiate the different stresses from different types of exercises. Your mind and body may literally be deepening into an asana rut that is no longer helping you to remodel neurons, connective tissues, muscles and bones in a way that keeps your interest. It’s possible that your cells have grown “bored” because they are no longer being challenged.
A new approach to asana
So why not cross-train your yoga? This is actually why I created my own two-year video journey in my Yoga Tune Up® At-Home Program. I wanted to create a series that keeps your body guessing every day. I encourage you to pull yourself out of your rut by alternating a totally different approach on different days of the week. Here are some ideas for how to do it.
Snow globe yoga: Shake it up! Inspiration comes in many forms. One of my favorite ways of practicing is to pick a pose, any yoga pose, and then imagine that pose in a snow globe. I shake up the imaginary snow globe and let the pose land in any and every possible orientation. The pose may land on its side, its back, its front, on one foot, etc. Maybe I throw a few props into this imaginary world, too. Then I practice the pose.
But how can you ignite your creativity when so much of asana is repetitive in its form? Repetition is the nuts and bolts behind asana. You actually do have to keep doing the same poses in order to master them. But many yogis can get stuck in a rut, gravitating toward one approach or one set of poses or a sequence that permits no deviation.
You will learn so much about the components of your pose by changing its relationship to gravity. It is endlessly amusing and produces dozens of variations … many of which are even more effective for your body than the “classical” version! This satisfies the body’s and mind’s need for novelty, and will also teach you about the relationship between the muscles and tissues surrounding your joints in a given pose. Often we are unaware of how to use the many structures that are required to build integrity in a pose. When you “shake up” a pose, you shake up your practice, and your “yoga block” becomes a helpful prop rather than a hindrance in your evolving practice!
Change up your poses to get out of your yoga rut!
So pick a pose and get started! Here’s a series I recently did with Triangle Pose:
Good old Twisted Triangle
Twisted Triangle with a twist - there's a block under my foot!
This twisted triangle fell to the ground!
Twisted Triangle Run Over By A Truck. This feels so good!
Staying fresh and excited about yoga ultimately boils down to being willing to see your practice — and your poses — as variable and interesting and as exquisite as real snowflakes: Even though they may all appear the same, look closer and you will see each one’s uniqueness.
Need more inspiration? Come practice with a Yoga Tune Up® instructor at any one of the many upcoming workshops or trainings to help step out of your yoga rut!
YogaDork Ed: For the edification of yoga practitioners, teachers and yogi dabblers, on asana, philosophy, yoga biz and more. Read more YogaDork Ed articles here.
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Earlier…
Okay that’s giving me some things to think about, thanks. The other night I mixed some round the house dancing with yoga pose “freezes”, always looking for something new in yoga.
Loved this. Thanks for sharing such creative ideas for expanding your practice.
Hi Jill,
I find that changing things up doesn’t actually work!
Eventually, people will become bored of that very change. In yoga we stress working with the breath so that the intricacies of each pose can be felt. Mindfulness of breathing makes every pose new again. In other words, if one is bored, one is not really paying attention. Perhaps bringing more of a focus on mindfulness within each pose will help shake students free of the “rut”.
Cheers,
Eric