Keep exploring

An alternate summer vacation for me this year. I took a break from the daily office life and participated in a yin yoga teacher training! 100 hours to study Functional yoga theory, philosophy, anatomy and teaching! It was mind-blowing. A class of 21 people and 2 amazing teachers. To create a connection. But also to respect our differences. Because every bone in every body is different. My key learning? To explore with curiosity is everything.

There are different kinds of resistance. Physical, mental and psychological. Physical resistance could be compression (bone to bone contact) or tension (stretch of a muscle). The first questions to ask yourself are ‘What stops me?’ and ‘How intense feels good to me now?’ Just look inside and feel what is happening. To increase awareness and to approach every pose with an open mind and curiosity. Just observing, no judging.

This curious, open mind is not a nice to have. It’s essential. It protects your borders. Whether physical or mental or emotional. You might get injured if you push yourself too far. You might feel like you fall into a canyon and have a panic attack. Because you weren’t ready to go there. But keep exploring! You might grow a little each time you do so.

Yoga taught me to feel. Because I’m pretty great at rationalizing and analyzing, it was hard to feel at first. But at some point, I felt how my body was healing from the car accident injury. I felt I was grieving and healing from some hardships. I learned to trust my body and my intuition. And it taught me to be as compassionate to myself as I am to friends.

Also, I very much enjoyed learning something new. And while you read this, I already taught my first yin yoga class in an actual yoga studio! A completely different experience than teaching a business workshop, but as much fun! Not everything has to be so serious. I like to keep exploring, just for fun. And as they say, the true yoga practice only starts when you leave the mat.

The theory on resistance comes from Bernie Clark’s book Your Body, Your Yoga. I participated in the Functional Yin Yoga Teacher Training taught by international yoga teachers Anat Geiger and Marcel van de Vis Heil.