As I write this, it’s Saturday afternoon and I just wrapped up an amazing 90 minute hot yoga class. Today’s teacher, Louis, said something that struck a chord with me. He said,
You learn more in yoga when you discover when to relax rather than when you learn how to contract.”
In every yoga series and every yoga posture there is a push and a pull, relaxing and contracting. And this dynamic energy is what creates strength and flexibility at the same time. And if you’re naturally inflexible or Type A or used to being an athlete when you learn the postures it’s easy to focus on the push, or contracting part of the pose.
For example, in Camel Pose you push your hips forward and contract your buttocks. But there is also an opening of your chest and relaxing of your shoulders. This got me thinking about the many ways in which relaxing can help you learn more about yourself and the postures.
Next time you take class, think about relaxing your:
Transitions
In hatha yoga you spend short, still moments between postures (as opposed to flow yoga where you keep moving). Try relaxing into these breaks even if they seem short. You will be amazed how quickly you can recover, reduce your heart rate and regain control of your breath.
Mouth
The inside of your mouth can hold a lot of tension, when you relax your mouth you may notice a ripple effect in your body, as other parts of your body start to unwind.
Face
When we work hard it’s common to tighten or strain your face, but relaxing your face during yoga can send a signal to the rest of your body that everything is okay. I do not believe you should feel obligated to smile during your yoga practice, but try to relax your face during the postures.
Shoulders and Neck
There are so many postures that dramatically become easier when you relax your neck and shoulders and let your weight work its magic. Some postures include: Eagle Pose, Standing Bow, Camel Pose, Final Stretching Pose, and the entire spine strengthening series.
Expectations and Ego
These two go hand in hand, creating high expectations for yourself is simply an expression of your ego taking over. I have to admit this is the hardest of “relaxing” for me. I constantly fight thoughts like “I used to look like this in the posture”, or “you should be able to go deeper”. When I relax my mind, stop thinking and just do the posture I often find that I can go into a deeper expression of the posture.
Mind
Relax all the chatter. Whether it’s praise, scorn, thoughts about work, relationships, friends or money just try to calm and relax your mind for 90 minutes. If it takes you all 90 minutes to calm your mind that’s okay. Enjoy five minutes in final savasana to reap the reward. Five minutes of a calm relaxed mind is better than letting the hamster wheel of thoughts dominate your day.
Never miss a post and join my mailing list.
