Pausing between yoga poses is vital for optimizing the results from your practice. The first yoga books that I ever read, Yoga for Beauty and Health and Yoga, Youth, and Reincarnation repeatedly stressed the importance of pausing between poses. Pausing helps you assimilate the energy that has been released. Also, pausing between poses cultivates serenity and a wonderful relaxed pace to offset the hustle and bustle that many of us have in our daily life. I believe we need to practice flowing and transitioning slowly between activities rather than rushing to and fro. Rushing often wreaks havoc, leading to mishaps that could have been avoided.
I pause for 5 to 10 seconds between most poses. But, play it by ear and listen to your body. You may need more time to catch your breath between strenuous poses such as the bow and the locust that require you to lift your body weight. I do! When you schedule your yoga practice, allocate sufficient time in your daily yoga regime to pause between poses.
Wisdom of the Day: "Composer Claude Debussy said that music is the space between the notes. Likewise, much power comes from the pauses between hatha yoga poses."~Laura Venecia Rodriguez
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