May 28, 2020
As a yoga teacher, it’s been really wonderful to see students stay motivated and committed to their journey while practicing at home yoga. That’s why this episode of The Yoga Inspiration Podcast is a little bit different. Times like these require a different kind of inspiration.
So I’m sharing one of my recent Zoom calls, including a brief meditation and a yoga Q&A session at the end of this episode.
It’s so important right now to feel a sense of community within the yoga community itself. That feeling of shared space is necessary. We all need space right now to process what’s happening to us. And our teaching methods are evolving to create this feeling of community online.
A virtual community of yogis, if you will, where we’re teaching yoga classes on Zoom and Instagram. I’m bringing this kind of community experience to my podcast so every yoga student listening out there can access this space. Because teaching yoga is less about putting bodies in poses and more about making sure you have the space to do your practice.
And space can mean so many things. It can mean the physical space you needed to make in your house to practice yoga during quarantine. It means finding the supportive environment you need to stay motivated. For a yoga teacher, it also means making yoga class accessible in a socially distant world.
Space can be particularly hard when practicing home yoga, for yoga teachers and students alike. We’re all easily distracted by the messes we make during the day or the emails we still need to answer. But if you can create the space to practice, then you can continue your yoga journey.
Our current situation can cause difficult questions to bubble up during practice, making yoga not just physically demanding but also emotionally. It can sometimes be even harder now to create the silent and still space needed for that kind of work, and I share ways yoga students of all skill levels can stay on their mat despite the pressure.
I’ll tell you this - it can be easier to find that space and stay on your mat when you realize that the purpose of it is to clear your mind. The stillness should turn your mind into a clear mirror, one that causes you to look in at yourself. You may not yet know yourself, that is why you’re on this journey. You seek to answer that question we all seek to answer - who am I?
Who am I?
That is the seeker’s question, and your yoga practice will take you on this seeker’s journey, bringing this question to the surface many, many times. It can be harder to face that question now as you practice home yoga. But remember, you are not alone. While we all practice safe social distancing, the yoga community is alive and thriving with yoga teachers working to make yoga more accessible to each of us, no matter where we are on our yoga journeys.
Keep listening after the end of this episode for an amazing yoga Q&A with my students. We discuss ways you can adapt your practice for home yoga, how to advance to second series asanas, posing techniques, and more.
If you’re a practicing yoga student with an inspiring journey, please share a bit of your yoga journey with me and my listeners. Send me an email at info@kinoyoga.com and tell me - what does yoga mean to you? You could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast with Kino MacGregor!