"We seem to spend the first half of our lives learning things and then the second half trying to unlearn things."
I read the above quote in an ezine and thought it was so great that I wrote it down and posted it near my desk. Unfortunately, I can't remember the source but the sentiment sure has stuck with me. As someone who's been under the influence of yoga and studied Buddhist-inspired texts, I am familiar with the concept of beginner's mind. Yet I know how much my mind loves to jump right in with an "I know that" so it can move on to something else. Sometimes you think you know. And other times it would be better if you believed that you didn't know. You know?
Okay, enough of the tongue twisters (thanks for indulging me). This quote popped back in my head the other day when I was creating aYogaMates profile. You know how it goes when you fill out a profile form -- favorite teachers, favorite yoga style, etc. The other famous question is, how long have you been practicing yoga. What I loved was one of the options that YogaMates provided for answering that question --long enough to know that time doesn't matter. Needless to say, I selected that answer.
I'm the person that goes to a yoga conference and marks off beginner when asked about skill level (despite the fact that the number of years I've been practicing would belie this answer). I tend to think about yoga practice in dog years, only in reverse. Rather than doubling the age based on the number of years, I tend to halve my practice time and come off looking like a newbie. I'd like to think that I am a newbie so that I'm open to all that yoga has to offer. That's why I continue to sample yoga styles other than the one I align with the most. It's too easy when you see yourself as an intermediate (according to the questionnaire from one workshop that I was attending, intermediate is defined as someone that can come up into Wheel pose) or advanced yogi to simply gloss over things with a haughty "I know that already" attitude.
The problem is -- if you're too cool for school because you believe you know everything you need to know, you won't learn anything (or you'll deprive yourself of learning something again when it may resonate with you in a totally different way). I try to approach yoga from the opposite end of the spectrum -- I know nothing. When I first started studying therapeutic yoga, I was horrified to find that I had developed a lot of "bad yoga habits." Bad yoga habits? I didn't even realize there was such a thing. I wouldn't have thought that bad habits and yoga went together. If I had my "know it all" attitude on, I wouldn't have even realized that I was going for form over function often where asana was concerned. No, I definitely didn't know it all. I still don't.
What I do know is that I like to keep an open beginner's mind. I suppose that's why I sometimes attend a beginner yoga class or practice with a beginner's DVD. Of course I notice that my mind is quick to chime in with an automatic "oh come on, we know this stuff already" yet I ignore it and stick it out. When I go back to the beginning, it helps me see yoga in a whole new way -- without my haughty yogi-colored glasses.
This morning I went back to basics with Shiva Rea as I practiced to herFlow Yoga for BeginnersDVD. The pace was a bit different than I was used to and her explanations of the poses -- which were very clear and tailored to the beginning yoga student -- caused my brain to sigh with boredom. But I pushed on and had a lovely practice.
The DVD, which is about 70 minutes long, is broken up into 4 segments:
- Foundation Flow -- approx. 15 minutes of simple -- but wonderful -- warm up poses
- Beginner's Backbend Flow -- approx. 20 minutes of backbend preparatory poses that will open your body. Because some of the poses are challenging, Shiva offers variations.
- Relaxing Flexibility Flow -- approx. 10 minutes of calming supine poses
- Beginner's Standing Pose Flow -- approx. 20 minutes of energizing standing postures
Unlike some of Shiva's other DVDs, there's no matrix option on this one. Perhaps it's unnecessary given how the DVD is segmented. Of course the scenery is beautiful but lost on me since I focus on my practice rather than looking at the computer screen. Shiva is her usual graceful self and teaches in a way that promotes fluidity, experimentation and joy through movement.
Going back to the beginning can be a humbling -- and fruitful -- experience. Of course you have to ignore the ego when it rears its ugly head and whines about it being "too easy." Actually, going back to basics can be a bit difficult, but it's a difficulty that I welcome in my yoga practice.
Namaste!
1 Comment
"We seem to spend the first half of our lives learning things and then the second half trying to unlearn things."
I read the above quote in an ezine and thought it was so great that I wrote it down and posted it near my desk. Unfortunately, I can't remember the source but the sentiment sure has stuck with me. As someone who's been under the influence of yoga and studied Buddhist-inspired texts, I am familiar with the concept of beginner's mind. Yet I know how much my mind loves to jump right in with an "I know that" so it can move on to something else. Sometimes you think you know. And other times it would be better if you believed that you didn't know. You know?
Okay, enough of the tongue twisters (thanks for indulging me). This quote popped back in my head the other day when I was creating aYogaMates profile. You know how it goes when you fill out a profile form -- favorite teachers, favorite yoga style, etc. The other famous question is, how long have you been practicing yoga. What I loved was one of the options that YogaMates provided for answering that question --long enough to know that time doesn't matter. Needless to say, I selected that answer.
I'm the person that goes to a yoga conference and marks off beginner when asked about skill level (despite the fact that the number of years I've been practicing would belie this answer). I tend to think about yoga practice in dog years, only in reverse. Rather than doubling the age based on the number of years, I tend to halve my practice time and come off looking like a newbie. I'd like to think that I am a newbie so that I'm open to all that yoga has to offer. That's why I continue to sample yoga styles other than the one I align with the most. It's too easy when you see yourself as an intermediate (according to the questionnaire from one workshop that I was attending, intermediate is defined as someone that can come up into Wheel pose) or advanced yogi to simply gloss over things with a haughty "I know that already" attitude.
The problem is -- if you're too cool for school because you believe you know everything you need to know, you won't learn anything (or you'll deprive yourself of learning something again when it may resonate with you in a totally different way). I try to approach yoga from the opposite end of the spectrum -- I know nothing. When I first started studying therapeutic yoga, I was horrified to find that I had developed a lot of "bad yoga habits." Bad yoga habits? I didn't even realize there was such a thing. I wouldn't have thought that bad habits and yoga went together. If I had my "know it all" attitude on, I wouldn't have even realized that I was going for form over function often where asana was concerned. No, I definitely didn't know it all. I still don't.
What I do know is that I like to keep an open beginner's mind. I suppose that's why I sometimes attend a beginner yoga class or practice with a beginner's DVD. Of course I notice that my mind is quick to chime in with an automatic "oh come on, we know this stuff already" yet I ignore it and stick it out. When I go back to the beginning, it helps me see yoga in a whole new way -- without my haughty yogi-colored glasses.
This morning I went back to basics with Shiva Rea as I practiced to herFlow Yoga for BeginnersDVD. The pace was a bit different than I was used to and her explanations of the poses -- which were very clear and tailored to the beginning yoga student -- caused my brain to sigh with boredom. But I pushed on and had a lovely practice.
The DVD, which is about 70 minutes long, is broken up into 4 segments:
Unlike some of Shiva's other DVDs, there's no matrix option on this one. Perhaps it's unnecessary given how the DVD is segmented. Of course the scenery is beautiful but lost on me since I focus on my practice rather than looking at the computer screen. Shiva is her usual graceful self and teaches in a way that promotes fluidity, experimentation and joy through movement.
Going back to the beginning can be a humbling -- and fruitful -- experience. Of course you have to ignore the ego when it rears its ugly head and whines about it being "too easy." Actually, going back to basics can be a bit difficult, but it's a difficulty that I welcome in my yoga practice.
Namaste!