Just because the pose feels good, doesn’t mean it’s good for you
Just because a certain stretch or yoga pose feels good, doesn’t always mean it is good for you.
“What do you mean?” You might think, “I’m supposed to listen to my body, right?!”
Yes, absolutely!! Always listen to your body! But, once you start practicing yoga while staying focused on your breath and body, you’ll get to know yourself and your body better.
You’ll realize that there are certain muscles that you’re not always using, in a new pose or until you’re sore after a yoga class. Or you might notice that you’re skipping certain poses because they’re too challenging or.. because it takes a lot of work…
My focus in yoga used to be physical flexibility. Just because it was easy and it felt good!
But did that make the stretch or pose right for me? Even though I was listening to my body right?! No, not always.
Cobra Pose
Once I learned to engage surrounding muscles in, let’s say Cobra Pose (see picture on the left), it was the challenge not to force myself in the pose and go for the pretty performance, while I was crunching my cervical and lumbar spine (neck and lower back respectively). Which is actually not good. It’s better to always keep length in the spine.
Low Lunge Pose
Or another example where I was actually doing more wrong than good was a Low Lunge (see picture on the right). I would happily “hang” in my hip joints, enjoying the stretch. There was no support from surrounding muscles, which could cause injury.
Now I know better and the importance of hugging my thighs towards each other, engaging my core muscles to really have correct and safe alignment.
Strength and Flexibility
It’s then that I learned that yoga is just as much focused on strength as on flexibility. It’s the balance and unity between the two.
It took my daily practice to a whole different level. Also because I was forced to, during pregnancy and after birth, focus on strengthening my body. I started doing Beginner Poses again, that my lovely ego struggled with. But being humble and having a beginner’s approach is when I learned the most.
I still will take a Baby Cobra Pose every other day or so and hold the pose for a minute or more. I clearly notice how it has strengthened my lower back.
My daily yoga practice looks very different now, compared to 10 years ago. It’s a lot more balanced and even more focused on strengthening poses, because that’s where I need to challenge myself.
So I have a fresh new class for you that will strengthen and challenge you in a fun way! This flow is what I do in my own personal daily yoga practice. You can do it anywhere, even without a yoga mat!
Try it and I invite you to do it a few times a week to build strength.
Enjoy! Namasté!
