What 'taking yoga off the mat' actually means (to me!)

*This post first appeared on Elephant Journal

Everyone that practices yoga probably has a different idea of what taking their practice off their mat and into the rest of their lives means. So this is simply my personal experience of just one of the ways time spent on my yoga mat has affected the rest of my life (which is why the title ends with (to me!)).

Most of the classes I teach—and probably lots of the classes you attend—start off pretty slowly with some gentle floor-based movements to start opening up the body and to bring people’s attention to both how their body is feeling and to the rhythm of their breathing. The physical movements then gradually build in demand and intensity until they reach a certain most challenging point, before we begin to wind down again toward relaxation at the end of class.

I’ll cue my students to inhale and exhale in time with certain movements, and also to notice what’s happening with their breath at certain points in the class.

I ask my students to establish a steady, calm rhythm of breath at the beginning of class when they are lying still. Then, I’ll begin to challenge them by bringing in some simple movements. And then challenge them to keep the rhythm of their breath with some more demanding movements. And then challenge them further with even more demanding movements.

This, for me, is key to one of the wider benefits of modern asana classes.

Yoga classes are often structured this way for a number of reasons, such as gradually warming up the body so it’s ready for more demanding postures and teaching students what they need to do in more accessible poses before asking them to try harder movements. But in using that structure, I’m also trying to teach them the skill of keeping their breathing calm, steady, and focused in progressively more challenging situations.

If we can keep taking deep calming breaths even when asked to do something unfamiliar, daunting, or stressful on our yoga mats, imagine how that might help us next time we go for a job interview. Or can’t get our baby to stop crying and go to sleep. Or have to make a big presentation at work.

I used this technique when I went for a job interview recently. Admittedly, since I’ve been teaching yoga, interviews are a world away from the ones I used to go to with law firms. But they can be nerve-wracking nonetheless - you’re still going to be asked questions by someone you’d like to impress, and you still want to sound like you know what you’re talking about!

I made sure to get there a little early to have time to run to the bathroom before it started. In doing so, I gave myself a little space to let go of my journey there and take a few slightly deeper breaths. I took a couple of minutes to find a slow, steady rhythm of breathing and made sure I could maintain that before I went back outside.

Once the interview had begun, I consciously went back to that same unhurried breath whenever it wasn’t my turn to speak. Calmer breathing allowed me to stay focused, which helped me think on my feet better and give more concise and informative answers (I got the job!).

Calm, focused breathing in challenging situations. That’s got to be a skill worth taking off your yoga mat, right?

How to build (and sustain!) a home practice

View fullsize

*An edited version of this post appeared on MindBodyGreen

I’ve recently had a couple of questions from students on how to keep up a regular home yoga or meditation practice. I know a few people every year that set a home practice as their New Year’s resolution (including myself, more than once!) but after a month or two things that resolution has often wavered or been lost completely. I’ve made a few false starts at maintaining a regular home practice over the years. Here are a few things I’ve learnt along the way, and that I pass on to students in my classes.

1. Set TINY goals! 

I've often heard people say 'set yourself realistic goals'. And you think to yourself that 30 minutes yoga practice per day seems realistic. But then one day you get home really late from work and go straight to bed, and then the next day you feel like your resolution has failed. My number one tip with this particular aim is to set yourself TINY goals. I know at first that might not sound particularly inspiring but stick with me...(!). If you have time for a daily 60 or 90 minute yoga practice then great (lucky you!). If you don't, then don't feel like anything less isn't worthwhile. If you'd like to have a regular home practice but work/ kids/ life seems to take up all of your spare time then make this your resolution: 'I will do at least ONE yoga pose each day'. Everyone has time for one yoga pose. It could be as simple as taking a few deep breaths in a standing forward fold. Or maybe if you have space try a child's pose, or a single downward dog. It will take one to two minutes of your time. I'd guess that most people can carve one minute out of their day, even if it's just by spending one minute less scrolling through your Instagram/ Facebook/ Twitter etc feeds (I’m guilty as charged!). 

2. Don’t beat yourself up

You might find that doing one pose - perhaps downward dog - feels so good you can't help but add a couple more on - maybe a lunge on either side. If that gradually builds so you're doing 5 or 10 minutes per day then great. But if on the next day you're in a hurry and it drops down to one pose again then don't beat yourself up. In fact, it’s the tendency of people to feel guilty if they miss a day that makes this ‘setting ridiculously small goals’ tactic work. If you try for an hour per day and miss a day, you might find yourself feeling guilty. Let that sh*t go! It’s defeating your overall objective of making yourself feel better. 

3. Make your practice fit your circumstances

Fitting your practice in around your life can also be a big help. If you decide you’ll practice first thing in the morning (and you’ve space in your room) then why not keep your mat laid next to your bed, so it’s the first thing your feet touch in the morning? Or, if you prefer evenings, how about a hip opener in front of the TV? Or a down dog while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil? Also know that having a regular time to practice is nice but if it doesn’t work for you then that’s fine too. Maybe try a standing forward fold for one minute in the loos at work..? Obviously being able to practice in a quiet environment is lovely. But for a lot of people it’s a luxury they don’t have access to every day. If the only time you can take a triangle pose is while your children are in front of the TV, then don’t feel like that background noise means your practice doesn’t count. 

Same rules apply to a meditation practice

For me, exactly the same approach can work if you're trying to build a meditation practice. Set a tiny goal: maybe aim for one minute per day. Everyone can spare one minute. Even if it just means that next time you go to the bathroom you stand in there for one minute and concentrate on your breathing. 

If you prefer a seated meditation and have the luxury of space maybe try meditating in the same spot each day, again just starting for one minute. Make sure any props you might want to use are within easy reach of your chosen space and not spread around your home. You might find that if you make yourself sit for one minute per day, that after a while it feels like you may as well stay for five. But, if not, that’s perfectly fine. Don’t beat yourself up! 

You may find a meditation app can help – you can use them as a timer and to keep track of the days you meditate. There are lots out there, so if you don't like the first one you come across it's worth trying another. If the space you meditate in can be noisy lots of apps have sounds on them you can play. I personally find music or chimes distracting but like more neutral background noise like the sound of rainfall (all of which are available on a lot of apps). Make your practice fit your circumstances!

Prep for a wide legged forward fold or prasarita padottanasana

View fullsize

I had a question from @mylifeisforliving a few days ago about how to work towards a wide legged seated forward fold or prasarita padottanasana (see my Instagram posts here and here if you're not sure what that looks like). Even though that posture might look relatively simple, I completely understand her question!

For some people sitting with their legs wide apart is naturally quite comfortable. For me the complete opposite has been true until pretty recently. I spent quite a lot of time horse riding when I was growing up without any thought of ever stretching, which left me with strong but very tight adductors (inner thigh muscles) and hip flexors (the muscles that you'd use to bring your knee up towards your chest). So whenever I tried to sit with my legs wide:

•  well firstly, they wouldn't actually move that far apart
• I couldn't sit up straight at all, and felt like I was falling over backwards
• I'd get cramp in my hip flexor muscles
• If for some reason I was daft enough to then try and fold forwards, I wouldn't move at all and the cramp in my hips would just increase 😩

So instead of keep trying to force my body into a position that obviously didn't work for it, I thought I'd try a more targeted approach for a few months to see if it made any difference (💥spoiler alert💥 - it did).

It's relatively easy to stretch your hamstrings (the big muscles on the back of your thighs), especially in a vinyasa yoga practice. It happens every time you fold forwards (see my quick video here about doing that more effectively!). Hamstring flexibility comes into a wide legged fold too, but for the purposes of this blog I'm going to take it as given that you know how to stretch those muscles. Instead I'll be concentrating on the muscles that are most restricted for me in this posture: my adductors. For me, the 3 postures in the photo above allow me to access my adductors most effectively. And this is the order I'd use them in:

Photo 1 (top left): Stand with your feet wide apart on your mat and parallel. Fold forwards. If your fingers don't reach the floor use a block. Turn your right toes out 45 degrees, and bring your left hand to centre so it's directly underneath your face. Bend your right knee and use your right forearm to guide your knee out towards the little toe side of your foot. As you inhale lengthen your spine by stretching the top of your head straight forwards and sticking your tailbone out behind you. Keep that, and as you exhale lunge a little deeper and keep using your am to gently press your thigh out to the side. After a few breaths inhale to release, and exhale to repeat on the other side. Tip: don't put your arm on the top of your leg. Make sure it's on the inside - maybe even rest your fingers on your shins to help get it.

Photo 2 (top right): Stand with your feet about a metre apart, and turn both feet out about 45 degrees. Bend your knees out and sit down towards the level of your knees. Take a peek at your knees - if they seem to be collapsing inwards compared to your feet turn your toes to point a bit more forward (it won't make the posture any easier or harder, but will be a more stable position for your knees). Lean forwards and place your forearms on the inside of your thighs. As you inhale lengthen your spine by stretching the top of your head straight forwards and sticking your tailbone out behind you. As you exhale sit a little lower. Tip: this is like the previous posture, but with both knees bent instead of one. So the same applies - don't rest your arms on the top of your legs. Make sure they're on the inside, and use your arms to gently press your thighs apart while also lengthening the skin on the inside of your thighs from hips to knees.

Photo 3 (bottom centre): Sit on a block with the soles of your feet together and knees apart. Inhale and sit up as tall as you can, and think about moving the natural inward curve in your lower back further in and up. As you exhale fold forwards, but keep sticking your tailbone out behind you as much as you can (that will maximise the stretch your after). If your elbows reach your thighs then bend your arms and gently use your them to lengthen the skin on the inside of your thighs from hips to knees. Tips: instead of taking hold of your toes and pulling them towards you (which can create a twisting action in your knees), reach for your ankles instead. And don't pull as hard as you can with your arms, as that'll create tension in your neck and shoulders - be gentle!