It is funny how we are all creatures of
habit… in some shape or form we like routine. From our morning ritual before we
leave the house whether you are a snoozer or an early riser, whether you take
time for a long shower and a leisurely breakfast or wait until the last minute
to get up so you rush your shower and race out the door maybe grabbing a cup of
coffee on the way to the office. We like a sense of order and get used to
things the way we like it. I am a very organized person by nature so routine
and planning are my comfort zone.
It was only when I started to think about
this recently that I really started to realize how much habit there is in my
life- I go for a walk in the morning and I do the same walk, I do my yoga
practice in the same place in my apartment, when I get the train I generally
stand on the same place on the platform…. I could go on but you get the idea.
So I took a look at my self-practice….
It is easy to get into habits, to do the same sequences and to stay within the
comfort zone. I noticed I was teaching lots of variety in my classes, making
sure students didn’t get bored or too comfortable- keeping an element of
familiarization but yet constantly stretching them and giving them something to
work towards, but I wan’t transferring this to my practice. So this week I
decided to take myself out of my comfort zone and try to break those habits…. I
decided to try a Jivamukti Class. What an experience- most of my yoga
background has been vinyasa flow and power yoga so I wasn’t too sure what to
expect. The studios I usually go to are small and intimate but yet with plenty
of space for each student. Initially when I walked in I felt out of my comfort
zone, it was a big studio, which once class filled ended up having over 40
people. I somehow found myself right up the front in the middle of the room… No
hiding down the back for me then. Not that I necessarily wanted to hide or have
an easy practice but I’m a bit like that in unfamiliar settings. I like to be
in the background a little until I feel comfortable…. But there was no dipping
toes in the water here it was a dive straight into deep water. We started
chanting- another relatively new experience. Although I did this throughout my
teacher training and often go to classes where there are small elements, this
was different. I really enjoyed it, anyone who knows me will definitely be
raising an eyebrow, but honestly there was a great energy in the room and I
just went with it. The class was amazing, the teacher had a very unique style
but I instantly took to it. I have honestly not enjoyed a class as much in
ages- don’t get me wrong I have been to some brilliant yoga classes recently
but there was something very different about this class. I found my body
stretching, bending and opening in ways it never had before- the teacher was
adjusting me into shapes I hadn’t even seen before but as she twisted me like a
rubber band my body just went with it, no pain, it just worked.
When we came to Savasana my body definitely
breathed a sigh or relief as I had worked it hard throughout the class but
there was also a sense of wanting more. I left the studio absolutely floating-
I couldn’t do every pose in the class but rather than fighting my body I worked
within what was working and where my body wanted to go in that class. As the
teacher guided us through advanced poses I didn’t think about whether or not I
would be able to do it I just tried it… I let go of any pre-conceived ideas of
what I could or couldn’t do and I felt more in the moment than I think I ever
have in a yoga class.
This class has inspired not only my self-practice
but also a change in some other little habits off the mat. I know I will always
be a creature of habit and I will always like my routine but as I have learned
this week sometimes you just need to push yourself out of your comfort zone… although
it can feel a bit scary that fear factor comes into play… if you don’t try you
won’t know what might have happened! Maybe this week, take yourself out of you
comfort zone- change a habit, on the mat or off the mat and see where it takes
you!
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