Practice Ideas for Challenging Times (Season 7, Episode 14)

When I was thinking about what to talk about today, it dawned on me that one really important thing to be considering during these uncertain times is how to adapt your practice based on how you’re feeling, knowing that it’s likely to be pretty different from day to day. Of course, this is always true, but sometimes it’s definitely more acute and apparent than others. So that is exactly what we get into in today’s episode. And then at the end I share a fun story from a listener because I think we all need more of that right now.

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Transcript

(00:02):

[MUSIC],

(00:05):

Welcome to Love, Curvy Yoga, the podcast where we believe shifting your practices to fit your life makes a difference. Now let’s get into it.

(00:18):

Hi Anna here. How are you? I feel like we all just need to sit with that for a moment. I have personally been all over the map. I’ve been trying to remember something that I try to remember, if that’s not too meta, when things are hard, which is that when life is complicated, which honestly is all the time, but it feels extra complicated now, that the answer for me is not to make things more complicated, which is kind of my go-to, but to simplify everything that I can.

(01:01):

So have I found myself scrolling the news or social media for an hour plus at a time? Yes. Have I found myself watching the same information over and over on cable TV when I was at my sister’s? Yes. Have I forgotten about going to bed on time? Have I stopped eating a vegetable? All of that. Yes. So what I am trying to do is a number one, give myself grace around all of that. So I do not think this is a time that we need to be trying to be perfect, whatever that even means with how we’re dealing with this unprecedented situation around Coronavirus. But not only that, I feel like we’re all going to be dealing in lots of different ways over time and we can just go ahead and normalize that. Like this is not a time where we need to start a brand new you, you know, trademark life plan, which I think is kind of tempting.

(02:16):

So what I’m doing is checking the news once or twice per day. It’s hard, but I am noticing, and I talked about this when I had that little note for a podcast last week, that just noticing how it feels in my body is a really helpful reminder for me. So when I want to check the news for the third or the 30th time, I just notice, Oh, how is this feeling? And usually for me, having some good information a few times a day is what feels best. So other things I’m doing, not letting my bedtime boundaries leak, going to bed on time, making a hundred percent sure that I do what serves me best, things that I do regularly anyway. But you know, sometimes I’m a little bit more lax with. So meditation, journaling, yoga, taking walks and being as present as possible, which again doesn’t mean I’m being present all the time or honestly sometimes even most of the time, but just as present as possible. The possible is a really important part of that with Hazel and Nic. And all of these things I mentioned, meditation, yoga, journaling, walks, et cetera. Those are things that I do briefly and that are already part of my regular routine. So I think whatever you can kind of double down on that you know works I think is a really helpful thing right now. So you’re not having to come up with a whole new self care plan if you know, Oh, if I take a drink of water and pet my dog for five minutes, it’s a nice reset for me, like awesome.

(04:07):

So when I was thinking about what to talk about today, it dawned on me that one really important thing to be considering during these uncertain times is how to adapt your yoga practice based on how you’re feeling, knowing that it’s likely to be pretty different from day to day. And of course that’s always true, but again, it’s definitely more acute and apparent I think for a lot of people right now. So I didn’t want to do an episode where I talked about ways like how you could or should or whatever be feeling because I just feel like we’re all feeling what we’re feeling and we’re all doing the best that we can. And so what I want to offer is what I can, what I know that might be helpful in regards to your yoga practice because that is a tool that is at your disposal and I’m hoping that this concrete information will be helpful. So up next in our main segment, we’re going to talk about that: practice ideas for challenging times. And then at the end end of this episode, I have a fun story from a listener because I feel like we could all use a little bit of that.

(05:22):

[MUSIC]

(05:27):

Okay, so whether it’s for my own personal practice or when I’m planning a class for students, there are several things that I consider, especially during challenging times. So my hope is that this will be a helpful framework for you that you can adapt as needed. So before we get into the details, everything that I recommend is really what I said that I’m doing earlier, which is to keep it pretty simple. So what that means will different for each of us. But really whatever you do or don’t do is okay. Like I mentioned earlier, this is not the time to invent a brand new capital Operation Perfect Yogi plan. So do what works for you from this, from anything else you know about your practice and scrap whatever doesn’t. Above all else, stay on your own side. If that’s the only thing you take away. If you just hit stop after this, I think that would be fine. Stay on your own side.

(06:31):

So here are some considerations. The first thing is how are you feeling physically, mentally, emotionally. So sometimes you’ll only be able to tell how you’re feeling on one of these levels. Sometimes all three will be clear. Sometimes none of it will feel available. So what I recommend is asking yourself the question and seeing what arises. So we don’t ask the question to give ourselves ammunition to use against ourselves because who needs more of that? But rather to both see if there’s any information available. And then to see what your ability to notice it is. And again, if your ability to notice it in that moment is limited or non-existent, that’s not a problem. That’s just more information. So when you say, Oh, how am I feeling? You’re like, Oh, I have no idea. That’s just giving you some information about how you might proceed with your practice. So in that case, you might go to some of the things I’m going to talk about at the end of this little section. So hold with me for that.

(07:44):

So with the physical, let’s say a body part is asking for your attention, you check in, you say, how am I feeling physically? And you notice, Oh my shoulders feel really tight or I have a pain in the left side of my hip or whatever it is. So if you have a body part that’s asking for attention, that is a direction you could head with your practice. So if you have tight shoulders, then you might bring in some poses that you know of that help you around shoulders. If you’re a member of curvy yoga studio, we have a whole category on neck and shoulders and you can also sort for that. So you can go straight to the videos that are designed for that, which obviously we have a variety of because it’s a pretty common issue.

(08:32):

If you’re having pain in a part of your body, let’s say that left hip is bothering you, then you can investigate a little bit further and see is this something where I feel like I really need to stretch it or move it? Or is this something where I need to avoid doing a lot of movement there? In which case maybe you’re going to do a gentler practice or a restorative practice. So this is one way that you can be guided in kind of figuring out what you might want to do with your practice.

(09:04):

Let’s say another physical thing that could come up is something more energetic related. So maybe you’re noticing that you have a lot of pent up energies that can happen if you’re feeling anxious. Um, for other reasons as well. But that’s some things some people may be feeling, now. I am raising my hand. Or maybe you notice that you don’t have very much energy. So either way, that again can be a guide where you’re like, okay, I’m really wanting to do some yoga and feel better. I think that’s a pretty common approach that people have to their practice. Me included. And so what we’re really trying to investigate with these questions is what does it mean to feel better? And we have to have a doorway into that. So this is a doorway. If you have a lot of pent up energy, maybe you want to move a little bit more quickly for a while and then shift into some restorative. If you feel like you have less energy, you might do the opposite.

(10:09):

So if you’re not sure how you’re feeling physically, then you can always go with what you know that you like. So types of poses, particular practices, things that you do regularly in an in person class, you could also do things that you’re curious about. So maybe you think, Oh, you know, I have a tendency to do more backbends than forward bends in my practice. So maybe I will switch it up a little bit.

(10:40):

All right, so moving to, how are you feeling mentally? I think it can be really helpful to name this. So let me just give an example from my own life. Uh, how I’ve been feeling mentally lately is I noticed that I have had a lot of thoughts running through my mind at the same time. In fact, I’ve been noticing that I have often been forgetting things or finding myself in a room or doing something in the house and I’m like, why am I even, how did I get here? You know, those times where there’s just so much going on that it’s really easy to lose track. So kind of the same principles apply here to what we just talked about, how you might respond physically. So in Ayurveda there’s a idea that like increases like and that opposites balance. So if you’re feeling sped up, maybe consider if speeding up more would be helpful to you or not. If we take in this principle of like increases, like then more speed might not be helpful and slowing down a little bit in your practice, bringing in a little bit of that opposite energy could help to cultivate balance. Now is this always so black and white? Of course not. You know, I think it would be nice if it was, because I like when things are black and white, which is basically never. So you can experiment with that in your own practice because sometimes when you’re feeling sped up it does feel good to move that and pent up energy like we just talked about and then move into restorative. And again, if you try something and you’re you know partway into it and you’re like, this is not working, you’re not committed to it for life or even for one more minute so you can make a change based on how you’re feeling.

(12:37):

Sometimes if you have a lot on your mind when you’re coming to your mat, I find that it can be helpful to write it down, whether that’s on a piece of paper on a note on your phone. Or one thing I learned from one of my yoga teachers, Melissa Montilla, years ago, was to picture a mental filing cabinet. So you just, I’ve literally just look picture in my mind, one of those gray metal filing cabinets with a bunch of folders in it and you put that thought into the mental filing cabinet. So you’re letting yourself know, okay, I’m making a note, I am filing it away and later it will come back to me. So either way just having some way to address it, get it off of your mind can help you to not have to hold it during your practice.

(13:35):

Okay. So moving to how are you feeling emotionally? I think that again, naming here how you’re feeling can be helpful. So I am feeling overwhelmed, I am feeling stressed, I am feeling peaceful in this particular moment. However it is that you’re feeling because practice is an opportunity to be with your feelings. I am personally always surprised by how much sadness I feel on the mat. And it’s not because yoga makes me sad or because the sadness is in a particular part of my body necessarily. But because it’s a place where I get quiet enough inside to feel what is otherwise challenging for me to feel because I’m definitely not like a go-to crier or somebody who accesses their sadness very easily in every day life. Um, it’s something that I, I wish that I had more access to often, but it is just not my current reality. So I find that when I am on the mat, I can feel things that maybe I don’t usually feel. So starting off naming how you’re feeling can be helpful and then you can investigate that further as you’re in your practice.

(15:03):

So bringing all of these things together might feel like, Whoa, which direction am I going to go? And I agree. I don’t think you that you need to give yourself, you know, 15 different doorways to walk through for your practice. I tend to in my own practice, go with whatever feels most pressing or most readily available for me to notice. And then as I go along, then other things might come up that will direct my attention.

(15:36):

So I mentioned earlier that I would have some suggestions for if checking in with yourself as challenging. So here are some of those. The first is to do something that you know, so poses that you know, a little sequence maybe that your in person yoga teacher always starts or finishes class with, one of the videos and curvy yoga studio that you’ve practiced with before. You really do not need to reinvent the wheel. So doing something different or feeling like, Oh I’ve done this so many times, is this okay? Yes, it’s okay. There is nothing better about doing something different in yoga. So go with what you know is a great suggestion here.

(16:27):

If you’re a member of curvy yoga studio, then we have recommended practices every single day. So sometimes that’s nice. You just are like, I don’t really feel like doing an investigation or I tried to check in and I wasn’t sure. You can just go push play, get on the mat and see what unfolds from there. Same thing for practicing with one of your favorite videos. So if you have favorited any videos then you can just go to those. And be like, okay, here’s one that I know that I liked. I’m just going to go with that.

(17:02):

I am also always available for recommendations, so if you’re feeling like I really am looking for whatever, fill in the blank type of video, I am not sure where to find it or which ones would be best for me, just send me an email and I would be happy to help you. So studio@curvyyoga.com. If you’re not a studio member, you can try one of our free practices. So for 14 days I’m offering a free either video practice or a audio guided meditation. I’m just kind of alternating those and we are, if you’re listening in real time on day eight today. So I will put the link for that in the show notes. And also if you’re not a member, you just go to the site, which is curvy yoga.studio. You’ll see that there’s a coupon code there for 50% off your first month of membership. So if you are like, I’m stuck at home, I really need to do yoga, then you’re welcome to give any and all of that a try. Okay. So up next, a great idea from one of our listeners and a few reminders.

(18:14):

[MUSIC]

(18:24):

Okay. So I promised you a fun story from a listener and here it is. So this comes to us from Beth E and she says, I wanted to comment on the podcast. One of the ways you had been nice to yourself was you accepted a compliment. So she’s referring back to our episode a few weeks ago that was called, what themes show up when you show yourself kindness? So she goes on to say, Oh, that is such a difficult thing, isn’t it? My partner compliments me all the time and I usually give him a pfft and shake my head. But it’s his opinion and I shouldn’t be discounting it because it’s not mine to do so. So I borrowed something from the wonderful @awholestory on Instagram. Maybe you’ll find it useful as well. She told the story of her young daughter and every time they complimented her, she would say, I know, right in response she would say it with amazement and excitement like I know I am so cool and amazing, aren’t I? And Autumn said that she had started using that when her husband complimented her. And I thought that sounded delightful. So I started using it too. Now when my partner compliments me, I will excitedly say, I know, right? And while we both giggle and it feels a little silly, it’s also an acknowledgement that he’s complimenting me and I appreciated it. He’s even started doing it back to me when I compliment him. Feel free to use that if you want. It’s a fun way to accept a compliment.

(19:52):

Oh my gosh, Beth, I love this so much. I just love how it introduces some playfulness and joy and just makes it all feel a little bit lighter. I know that I usually feel awkward when I’m receiving a compliment, um, because I just am like, how should I respond and I want them to feel heard, but also I feel uncomfortable. So I feel like this element of play really changes up all of those dynamics. So I am personally definitely going to try it. And for those of you listening, if you are also as delighted by this as I am and you give it a try, let me know. I would love to hear about it. We can share how it goes for all of us. So thank you again for sending that in Beth.

(20:46):

Okay, couple reminders. Check out the show notes for the links that I mentioned earlier. If you want to check any of that out and if you have questions, comments, ideas, et cetera, I would love to hear it. You can email me at podcast@curvyyoga.com. My inbox is also always open for more delightful stories like this. So y’all, people only reach out to me on email. So I’m just going to stop saying the text and Instagram options. You’re still totally welcome to use it, but this will, in the spirit of what we’ve been talking about, keep it simple. Okay, so let’s close with one breath together. We’ll inhale and exhale. The light in me honors the light in you. Namaste.

(21:38):

[MUSIC]

(21:41):

Stay tuned next week where I will be talking about, I honestly don’t know what. Things are changing very rapidly from day to day, but stay tuned and I will be back with you and have something for you and if there’s something you’d like me to address, definitely send me an email at podcast@curvyyoga.com