Does it Serve You Today?
As I’ve said in other blogs before, one of my most used taglines is “…. if it serves you today.” I find myself in every single class repeating this phrase over and over again. Sometimes I worry I’m coming across as a robot saying the same thing, trying my best to see it resonate in each and every student within the studio walls. But every time those words come out of my mouth, chills go down my spine. It’s resonating. It never gets old. I will never stop saying it. But, what does it even mean?
We live in a world where we are disconnected with reality most days. We are constantly on the go, checking off task after task and moving so quickly that the body completely disconnect from the mind. We’ve become these auto-pilot human beings that rarely stop and enjoy the present moment. Some of us live in a world where we merely complete the next task without question. Some of us are fatigued by the everyday world of merely surviving, and some of us simply move through the things we need done in an attempt to find satisfaction in that check mark of completion. No thought. No rhyme. No reason.
Here’s the thing… the world, the job, the task, the space is ever changing. Grass is growing. Air is recirculating. Birds are migrating. The ground is shifting. And whether you see it happening right in front of your eyes or not, you are transforming. If you’re continually shifting over time, what works today might not work tomorrow. It might not even work in the next moment of time. So, why are we continually shoving the body, the mind, and the breath into a place that no longer fulfills a need. Because it’s what we’ve been trained to do.
The yoga practice is a never ending journey where you are always evolving, changing, and learning. The yoga practice is a systematic whole of constantly being a student. Listen, I’ve been teaching yoga to students for a very long time. Just this year, I’ve logged close to 200 hours of classes, tipping over 1,000 visits at The Yoga Haven alone. You’d think I’d be what society calls an “expert,” yes? Nope! It’s called a PRACTICE, meaning that whether you’re leading the room or moving the body in the back row - we, as a community - are learning. That includes every yoga teacher, mentor, guru, all of us. We are all students, practicing together!
What serves you today, what works for you today, what feels like it’s a space you want to be today, might not be where you want or need to be tomorrow. This posture variation during this sequence in this part of class might be exactly what you need. 10 breaths later, it might be the complete opposite. That’s ok!! Learn. Change. Find something new. Explore. Pause. If it doesn’t serve you, right now, stop. Sit with it. Shift. Breathe. The beauty, the complexity, the PURPOSE of yoga is that we are all students. There is no expert or one that has arrived to the end. There is no end. We get to examine the practice every single time we step onto the mat. How freaking cool is that?
What you do in the yoga practice provides an opportunity to transpire outside of the four corners of the mat. So, I invite you, the next time you unroll the mat, to notice what you notice. What is the purpose for moving your body in this way? What is the reason for this type meditation? What is the motive for this chosen pranayama today? Right now. This time. This breath. Does it serve you? Is this providing a chance for exploration? Questions? Challenges? Change? Does this task bring you exactly what you need in this moment? If it doesn’t, do something else. Do. Something. Else….. and if you don’t, not this time…. that’s ok, too!
