HOW YOGA CAN HELP YOU CHANGE YOUR LIFE PATTERNS (OR NOT)
Yoga is such a great practice that supports rewiring our thought patterns.
I always tell my students at the beginning of class: You alwalys have the choice and make a real impact in 90min or distract yourself for the next 90mins. In 90min we can gain so much awareness of the breath's, body’s and mind’s patterns. And this only works by being fully present with our practice.
In yoga we call our subconscious patterns Samskara which are patterns in the mind installed by a previous experience. When we repeat these too often our samskaras become so deeply rooted in our subconsciousness that they are responsible for our unconscious reactions and thus form our lives. In our practice we have the chance to become aware and offset certain samskaras if we are willing to see them.
POSSIBLE PATTERNS THAT YOU MIGHT COME UP IN YOUR PRACTICE:
You are always going all-in with most advanced asanas without checking-in with your body’s needs first (is that your tendency in life too?)
Moving into shallow breathing when it gets harder or thinking of other things and not being fully present (which might be a reflection of how present you are with life’s adversities).
There are physical imbalances or patterns in your body that restrict you to move as you liked (sth to have a look why certain areas in your body are blocked)
You tend to distract yourself with thoughts, or comparisons, or watching and judging your body during the practice or moving around, doing a few more flow elements and being constantly moving and unable to stand still
Rushing through the poses just to get done and be finished
Doing the yoga practice for getting more flexible or having a leaner body (and thus making your physical looks a priority over the feels)
Always checking first what your mat-neighbor is doing or what the teacher is telling about how the pose should feel (trusting the outside perspective more than trusting yourself)
There is so much to explore during the yoga practice and so many things to notice. Some however go to yoga practice every single day but never truly eplore these hidden places for they go with a distracted intention. Others do not practice often but practice well intended yet arrive to the most revealing discoveries.
There is such a value in shifting patterns. It gives a new positive stimulation to our nervous systems and helps us staying open to change. The more ingrained we are in our pattern in yoga and life the harder it gets to see it.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE YOUR PATTERNS AND MAKE YOUR YOGA PRACTICE TRULY TRANSFORMATIVE:
Naming the experiences, patterns, discomfort we are feeling (e.g. by journaling)
Interrupting the pattern (which happens subconsciously) by coming to the present moment through breath, sound, movement
Working with intention-setting, visioning
Changing small habits in your yoga practice helps you become aware of our patterns bc it puts us into conscious-mode
This is how your yoga practice becomes alchemical and has the power to transform your life. Let me know if you have questions and whether this resonates with you.
