Growing In Practice

Last month’s theme was “renewal” and fittingly, I celebrated my birthday. While I’m naturally introspective, my birthday is the time of the year when I’m even more reflective than usual. It seems that the natural theme to follow is “growth.”  I’m thinking about how I have grown and how I am continuing to grow. I’m contemplating how I want to continue to show up for myself and others, and also thinking about how I can overcome obstacles and rise up to meet my full potential.

The last year has been full of growth for all of us in one way or another. I’ve always been an adaptable person, willing and open to learning new things, but those qualities have really been put to the test. While the world seemed to be in this stagnant limbo between open and closed, many of us, including myself were paradoxically forced into what seemed to be a period of accelerated expansion. From launching The Community MAT and diving head first into writing my first book, to continuously figuring out the world of online teaching, technology, and entrepreneurship, I would say that this last year was really a growth spurt. We are always growing and always learning and I believe that every day presents us with opportunities to expand one’s mind in some capacity. I know firsthand that yoga can help facilitate this growth. 

Set Intentions

Growth happens one step at a time. I say all the time that yoga is a practice for life and therefore, the practice often mirrors situations in life. I think about how babies grow rapidly, but yet it’s still one step at a time. Before they can crawl we give them small increments of “tummy time” so they can strengthen the muscles of their neck to be able to hold their head up and see where they’re going. Once they’re able to hold their head up, they strengthen their arms so they might begin to crawl. After they crawl, they stand, and after they stand, they take a step...one step at a time until they can walk, run and jump with a continued mastery of gross motor skills. Growth happens when we consistently and persistently take baby steps in the direction that we want to go. One of the easiest steps to take in a yoga practice that will help to facilitate growth both on and off the mat is to set an intention. Setting intentions helps us get clear on the direction we want to go and gives us a framework within which we can be consistent and persistent in honoring said intentions.

When I first started practicing yoga in college I would set an intention each month to focus on one specific thing. As a newbie to yoga I wanted to make my body strong. I couldn’t yet do a chaturanga- dandasana and so in my three hour Ashtanga class I would make it my intention to do just one good chaturanga. Out of the 30+ chaturangas we did during sun salutations alone, I simply set a baby-step intention to do a single one, really well. It took me a while to get there, but I stayed consistent in my practice. I stayed focused on what it was that I wanted to accomplish and in the end, I did learn to do that pose well.

Be Consistent

On the surface my experience learning chaturanga appears to be a story about being able to do a yoga pose, but it’s more than that. I’m a believer that the on the mat practice is a mirror for, and an indication of what’s happening off the mat, in real life. Growth on the mat should be facilitating growth off the mat. In having the intention to do that single chaturanga, continuously working towards it and eventually seeing the fruits of my efforts, I learned that not only do I have the capacity to build strength in my body, but strength in my resolve as well. Being consistent on the mat helps us to be consistent in areas where we might struggle in real life. Knowing that I can do hard things on my yoga mat helps me to believe in myself when I need to do hard things in everyday life. 

At the time I didn’t fully get it, but have since come to understand that one-pointed focus is an important element not just in yoga, but in achieving what we set out to do. We must give our prana direction. A core spiritual principle is “where attention goes, energy flows.” When you put all of your attention towards a single thing your power is strengthened because the energy isn’t scattered. It’s all flowing in the same direction, working towards a common goal or outcome. Though I use the word “goal” here, intention in yoga aims bigger than that. It casts a wider net that is not only more forgiving when we sometimes veer off course, but will ultimately go further and deeper in service to our Higher Self. Yes, we want to accomplish things in our life, but the bigger idea is to move towards a state of being where we are in alignment; a state of being where we recognize our Divinity and own our power. 

Start Where You Are

How would you describe your attention now? Is it dispersed or concentrated? Are you working on several projects at once? Are you multitasking at this very minute? There’s no right or wrong, just an observation of what is…

Now consider what could be. I believe that we are infinite and powerful beings with a latent capacity for digging deep into the well of our full potential to reveal gifts and strengths we may not have even realized we have. So, what is the one thing you would like to put all of your attention on this month? Like my posture focused intention from my earlier days of practice, it doesn’t have to be serious. It doesn’t have to be deep. Whatever it is can be a starting point to practice strengthening your will and commitment to your practice and to your growth. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, sutra 1:14 states that you’ll see the fruits of your practice when well attended to with full commitment over time. 

Integrate Off the Mat

One of our intentions for The Community MAT is to offer a place where anyone can learn to integrate the teachings into their daily life. We do this by offering those practices that have a lingering and profound effect even after you’ve rolled up your mat and left the class. While any time you’re on your mat brings a chance to practice with intention, yoga nidra specifically, offers a powerful tool where sankalpa (intention) is used to help us accelerate the shifts we want to create in our life. No matter how big or small the intention, the practice of yoga nidra is the perfect vehicle to help you become more aligned with who you want to be and how you want to show up in your life and in the world. You can join us on Sunday mornings for yoga nidra or in any of our classes to practice with intention. 

We’re here to support you in your practice so let us know what you’re working on this month. How are you facilitating your growth? What is your intention. Comment below and let’s talk about it. Remember that growth is about continuing to take those baby steps in the direction that you choose and consistently moving towards the Light of your being. You can do what you set your mind to!