Why is it called a yoga practice, not a yoga perfect?
It is called yoga practice for a reason. In any sport you practise to improve and it is the same in yoga.
Yoga practice refers to the ongoing process of learning and growth that takes place. Yoga is a journey rather than an end goal. As we practise, we deepen our understanding and connection with our bodies and the world around us. Whenever we come to our mat, we do our yoga practice, not our yoga perfect.
When we start on our yoga journey, it can be very overwhelming, but as is the same with anything, the more we practise the easier it becomes. We learn acceptance, knowing when to push our bodies and when not to. Especially as we age, there may be some poses our bodies just can not do due to joint restrictions, but that is absolutely fine. The important thing is we practise with consistency.
If you practise, you will see improvement. If you don’t, you won’t. Yoga is a journey; along the way, we will see our flexibility improve, aches and pains can start to disappear, and we move with greater ease and feel stronger. We learn to connect with our breath and to quieten the mind. We start to understand how to find balance in our body as well as awareness, understanding and acceptance in our mind.
It is not always huge changes we see, but slowly, as we practise, the changes will start to appear and become more noticeable. Yoga is the same as anything else; when our practice becomes consistent, that is when the habits form and the changes occur.
Ann de Jongh is a health & well-being coach
+351 913 202 621