Slow & Steady, the Yoga Way

This is part of a series of posts and emails from what is inspiring by in a book I have been reading. I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts about key moments I am finding in the story:

How Yoga Works by Geshe Michael Roach

This book works to explain the practice of yoga through a novel, the story of a young woman introducing and teaching the practice, all the while teaching us as well.

The Journey of Healing Through Yoga

The student in the story originally sought out yoga because of chronic and increasing back pain, a very common reason people make their way to yoga. I, myself, found yoga after my insurance cleared me from physical therapy, but I was still struggling with flexibility and mobility issues in my arm. The student, here, had ignored and pushed through his pain for many years….sound familiar? How often do we put off taking care of ourselves when we know better, AND when we know it is only going to cause us more pain and more time and maybe even more intervention to feel better??

After some time learning and practicing, the student asks his teacher how long it is going to take for him to be “fixed” and better. The instructor compares the healing process of yoga to “straightening out a young tree that’s been growing a little crooked” (38).

When he basically asks how long that might be, she continues:
“You can’t just push it back straight in a few weeks; you have to go slowly, very gradually or you might hurt it.” She goes on to say that while it won’t be quick, it also won’t take “…the thousands of days it took to ruin your back, but not just a few dozen days either” (39).

The Benefits of a Steady Practice

It is SOOO relatable to wonder how long something is going to take, to want to feel and see continued progress with each practice, especially if we are experiencing pain. BUT, it also makes sense, when we step back, to realize it is not going to be a straight line or as fast as we might wish. There really is no magic pill.

It’s a a classic good news/bad news scenario. BUT, as she also points out to him later in the story, it’s more good news than bad. Yes, it takes time, but at least it doesn’t take the same amount of time that it took to end up in the painful position. For those aches and pains we have earned over years of slouching over a computer, it won’t take an equal amount of days to get our body straightened back out. It will take some time, and there may be days where we notice the improvement more or less than other days, but it will work and will work faster than the time it took to break ourselves. 🙂

If you have been putting off a consistent yoga practice because of chronic issues or consistent aches and pains, hopefully this starts to get you thinking that adding a consistent practice could get you back to where the body needs to be and wants to be.

If you have been feeling like your progress has been slower than you like or wish or hoped, I hope that this reminds you it is happening. Each practice is helping. Each practice is serving you. You may not “see” it or immediately feel it, but it’s the slow and steady pace of how yoga works.

Plus, if you ever need a reminder of if it is helping, missing a weekly practice or falling off of a consistent routine of practice can often show you the difference…

• What is your experience or thoughts, questions, reactions?
• What has been keeping you from trying yoga to feel better BEFORE those aches and pains get worse?
• Have you experienced slow progress in your yoga journey?

Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

–TG

 

And if you are ready to get started with a consistent practice, adding a practice at home in conjunction with your weekly studio class, or finally getting that mat out at home and prioritizing your self-care practice, join the Yoga with TG Club. ALLLLL the yoga and meditation you can want in an on-demand, 24/7 library with new flows and practices added each month. Full-length classes, short classes in all the styles of yoga: restorative, yin, chair, beginner, more challenging, Sculpt, all for less than $1/day. Join the Club here (can cancel or pause anytime) or by clicking the image below.