Sometimes I feel "guilty" (slightly....) about learning yoga from books and an occasional DVD or television broadcast and not from attending a class. "I could be missing something from 'professional' instruction, I muse. However, my occasional concerns were allayed the other day when I read a Yoga Journal (June 2010) interview with instructor Barbara Benagh.
Seeking to heal an injured back, Benagh learned yoga years ago by attending Iyengar yoga classes. Iyengar yoga, which pioneered the use of props (cushions, blocks, straps, etc.) to help people perform yoga poses, focuses on body alignment. Benagh shared that over the years she began to experience certain sensations during her practice that she asked her teachers about. None could give her guidance about this until she met instructor Angela Farmer who she said, "doesn't teach you how to do yoga. She teaches you to tap into your own curiosity...She really helped me to trust myself, so instead of asking, "Is it ok to move from within?" I just do it."
Exactly! I could not agree more! You can learn core yoga principles and poses from instructors, but ultimately, you are your own best guide. In the quiet of your own home studio and doing poses on your own, you learn to tap into your body's whispers and wisdom. If you move slowly and mindfully, you will not injure yourself and you will experience a greater oneness of your mind, body, and spirit than you probably would in a class. Benagh sums it up when she says that if her students learn from her how to seek equilibrium when doing poses and wake up their soul..."I think their practice will bloom and they won't need me." Thus, I believe classes are fine for pointing you in the right direction, but for me, yoga magic ultimately occurs when I practice on my own.
Yours for tapping your inner guidance,
Laura Venecia Rodriguez
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