Yoga Teacher Ashley shares her top mindset tips for all yogis, regardless of experience. These insightful mindset tips are valuable not just in your yoga practice, but for life. If I could tell my students only one thing before class, it would be to listen to their body. Listening to your own body sounds simple enough, but if this is something you’re not used to, or you’re left wondering what that even means, then these five mindsets will help get you there.
Mindset Tips For Yogis (And For Life)
If it hurts, don’t do it.
I attended far too many yoga classes before I heard this from a teacher, and it changed my approach to yoga forever. A lot of times in yoga, we fall into the trap of thinking that our bodies must look like the instructor’s or our neighbour’s in order to be “right.” But posture modifications wouldn’t exist if this were true. Don’t be afraid to say no to a posture; you’re more than allowed to modify the posture or choose an alternate if there’s a position that doesn’t feel right for you. This is especially important if you’re at the start of your yoga journey.
Get better at saying no.
Oftentimes in group classes, students will push themselves to keep up in some way, whether it’s the pace or attempting a posture that’s too advanced. Most people avoid standing out from the crowd, but there is no shame in staying in a posture longer when it feels good, or skipping one that doesn’t. Yoga is very much an independent journey, and it should be respected as such, even in the group setting. If anyone asks you why you’re veering from the group, all you have to say is that the given posture isn’t right for you.
Don’t compare yourself to anyone else.
Of all the mindset tips, this is a big one not only for your yoga practise but for everyday life. Hopefully, your yoga teacher has more experience than you do. It makes sense that they would be able to go into a posture deeper than you can, but this doesn’t always stop us from trying. There’s a good reason we like to think of yoga as a practice, because that’s what we’re doing on the mat, and the more you practice, the more you learn. One thing I’ve learned from doing lots of yoga is to only go as deep as my body is allowing. Stop comparing yourself to your neighbour, to your fellow practitioner, and to your instructor. If you feel the need to scratch the comparison itch, compare yourself only to who you were yesterday.
Respect how you’re feeling today.
You may find that you could do something yesterday you can’t do today, and vice versa. That’s normal, and respecting how you feel today is a way of strengthening the listening-to-your-body muscle. Skipping yoga on days you don’t feel like it can be a mistake. Yoga can actually make you feel better, much in the way you rarely regret a workout, so on days you’re less motivated, hold restorative poses for longer. Then on the days you’re really feeling it, hold the more difficult postures for longer.
Yoga connects us to our internal nature. By focusing on the body, breath, and mind, we create a connection within ourselves.
Keep it fresh.
There are a lot of ways to switch it up in yoga. I always recommend a balance of independent practice and instructor-led classes. If you’re practicing independently, try flowing to your next posture based on what feels right. That takes some getting used to, but practicing this strengthens the listening-to-your-body muscle. If you have a favourite class or favourite teacher, try a different class or teacher at least every few times. Sometimes trying another class can remind you why you like the one you do, but inevitably, you’ll have to do some postures you’ve forgotten about or are new to you. That’s a good thing for your brain, too, because every time you move in a new way, new pathways between cells are created helping to keep the mind young, as well.
Listening to the signals your body is sending you is a skill that needs to be fostered, and yoga will teach you how to do that. It’s designed that way. We hear a lot about self-care and how to achieve it. Like many things worth having, self-care is more work than a facial or a long bath, not that it isn’t also those things. Listening to your body and then respecting what it’s telling you is the highest form of self-love there is. Hopefully, these mindset tips will guide you not only through your yoga journey, but also in life.
