It is not so important to perform a very difficult posture perfectly, as to practice carefully, being aware of one’s own needs.
Something I have observed since the beginning of my yoga practice is that a greater complexity of the asana does not correspond to a greater benefit. However, I have detected a factor that enhances the benefits of any posture whatever its difficulty: attention.
Awareness of movement, the body and its processes, enhances the effects and benefits of our bodily practices. The better we know ourselves, the more we will be able to offer ourselves what we need.
THE MORE ATTENTION, THE MORE SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND THE FEWER INJURIES
Maintaining a high degree of attention during practice allows us to know our state and our needs at all times. Do I have a lot or little energy today? Do I need rest or get moving? Is my foot already in top shape and needs to regain tone or does it still suffer from the stumble of the other day and the tissues need a repairing movement?
Knowing the point from which we start and what we are needing means that we can adjust our practice in a very effective way. Welcome self-knowledge and goodbye to injuries.
REDUCE COMPLEXITY AND QUANTITY TO INCREASE QUALITY
For most of us, performing a large number of tasks simultaneously, receiving an enormous volume of stimuli or wanting to maintain concentration for a prolonged period and without rest has the effect of decreasing the quality of attention. However, we can easily stay vigilant if:
- The task we perform is simple.
- We have enough time to get into it.
- We have few distracting elements.
- We can abandon the practice when we feel that we have already taken all the information and experience we need from it.
WHAT WOULD A YOGA PRACTICE FOCUSED ON THE CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION LOOK LIKE?
When we decide that the asana is at our service and not, we at theirs, our practice can take different rhythms and structures to favor the exercise of attention.
Bet on focusing on an asana or dynamic to explore it thoroughly, rather than rushing to perform a variety of postures performed in a scheduled and superficial way.
Exploring a dynamic thoroughly means entertaining yourself in it, experiencing it in different rhythms, times and spaces. Offer yourself enough time for the effects of the movement or posture you perform to emerge, but do not force the stay in the asana just to fulfill what is programmed or supposed to be ideal. If your intention is to learn more, nothing is more important than respecting the rhythm and capacity of the nervous system at all times.
When finished, write down everything that caught your attention during practice. The exercise of putting words to the experience helps us to elaborate and understand it. We will try to reflect as clearly as possible everything that happens to us.
As you can see, we will always seek to offer us the right dose. The one that allows inspiration and learning without dulling our senses to the point of hindering our ability to perceive and understand.
And to start in this search for the right dose it is very important to remember that less is more, also in the practice of yoga.