Little Engine Yoga ®

There are a few common qualities I find myself cherishing in the yoga teachers who have inspired me.

Overwhelmingly, it's simply the "energy" of the teacher that brings me back to their specific class. But it's also their skill in leading the class through a balanced and deep practice, their knowledge of yoga anatomy and alignment (which keeps my body safe and progressing to new levels), and of course, their freakish ability to do crazy arm balancing tricks.

For many of us, one of the qualities in a yoga teacher which inspires us most - which Katey has talked about (and embodies beautifully!) is the gift of being somewhat lyrical and poetic in the delivery of class. What could otherwise be cheesy aerobicise narrative - "squeeze those cheeseburgers out of those buns" - an actual line I remember from the 80's exercise classic Buns of Steel - becomes "let your heart shine"......"open up"......"become the mountain". And far beyond these simple, yet nurturing phrases, I'm really drawn to a teacher who naturally weaves (or sutures, if you prefer) little gems of wisdom into the "script", stone drops of universal philosophy in the pond of our yoga....bloooop.

All of that brings me to a gemstone I want to share with you, one that has caused me some ripples lately, which comes from the mouth of Josh (that sounds like the name of a cult!). In essence, it goes like this:

"In this pose, don't compare yourself to where you were yesterday or where you want to be tomorrow, don't worry about what others are doing. Self-judgement is completely contraindicated in yoga - it only creates tension and closure and has no place in your practice."

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I couldn't keep my balance today in class...falling all over the place in standing bow and tree...hell, I even was tipsy in dadayamana bibhaktapada pascimottanasana! (Now you know it was bad.)

But with some reflection, I realized that the more and more annoyed I got because I couldn't stand on one stupid leg, the harder the whole affair became. Balancing poses like dominoes came falling over into my zen and restricting the flow of prana, creating a sense of separation even from my own self. Over dramatic, maybe, but you catch my drift.

If there is such a thing as bad yoga, it's the yoga you tell yourself is bad yoga.


With every inhale, find new space.
With every exhale, explore that space.

Z