When I first started Ashtanga yoga in my 40s, I wasn’t naturally strong, mentally or physically. That’s why strength postures are important to me and my personal yoga journey. I wasn’t able to click my fingers and be in a headstand. It took months of practice, months of chaturangas, And lots of doubt. I doubted myself and my own strength. But one thing I’ve learnt along the way is that every posture has its time. No amount of forcing or pushing will change it.
The key to a good practice is learning how to be at peace with ourself and our body right now, with whatever strength we have, not to give up, but don’t force it either, and to keep practicing....finding a way of moving that feels comfortable and good, and just enjoying the journey, remembering it’s a lifelong practice and there’s never any rush to ‘master’ a posture.
There are always a few postures ashtangis are working at and yet to achieve (which are different for Every Body!) but we’ve got years ahead of us still.... My own practice is intermediate series and even though I’m in my late 50s, rather than deteriorating physically, I feel I’m becoming stronger and more flexible as my practice keeps improving (very slowly lol!)....so getting older makes us feel younger as the older we are the more yoga we’ll have done....😉
Ultimately our practice is a framework within which we can experiment and explore, a 'life tool' to help cope with the chaos of life, to help us feel healthier, happier and stronger both mentally and physically.....👌💪❤️
"The very essence of yoga is that the practice must be adapted to the individual, not the other way around." -T.K.V. Desikachar
