I’ve been practicing yoga on and off for a while, and lately I’ve been noticing how much it affects not just my body but also my mindset. Some days I feel strong and grounded, and other days even a simple flow feels challenging.
I’m curious how others deal with the days when your body doesn’t quite cooperate with your intentions. Do you scale back, try a gentler practice, or just push through? I’m trying to find a balance between honoring my body and staying consistent.
Would love to hear your tips or experiences and thank you for taking the time to read!
When I started taking yoga classes, for reasons unknown to me, I had real trouble “giving myself permission” to be myself. Once I got past that issue, and relaxed enough to express myself in public (class), now when I am doing my practice, I more or less fall into my own little world for that period of time. On the days that my body decides that it does not want to cooperate, I just take it for what it is for that day and move on. I never have chastised myself for not being able to perform. I might add that this seems to happen in yoga class and not really in my practice at home.
I am blessed enough to have two senior yoga instructors that continuously lift the members of the class up. Both of them ASSURE us that some days in class are great, and some days in class our bodies seem to be on strike.
I am in my senior years and don’t really stress about much of anything anymore.
Thank you for sharing a very relatable issue for me, since I live with an inflammatory disease called ankylosing spondylitis. Everyday is limited range of motion. some days in my life I can barely move. on the ‘normal days’ with limited ROM, I find activity & anusara style yoga specifically is beneficial and so absolutely ‘push through’. On those bad flares days, there is still yoga, but it may look like feldenkrais and pranayama. Hope that helps.
p.s. this is my first time using this platform. hope I’m doing this right.
This is both a great question and a great reflection. I am not sure that there is a right answer but something that each of us must explore everyday. I notice my energy shifts and changes day to day, and week to week. I lean into consistency as far as stepping onto the mat goes, however I am now much more compassionate with myself while I am there. If I am doing a flow class and am feeling less strong or energized, I will usually stay in the lighter variations of poses, or skip a chaturanga for example. I think we learn how to listen to our body through yoga, so we should then use that skill while practicing yoga!
Thank you for sharing that, it really puts things in perspective.
I love how you’re still finding ways to show up for yourself even on the tough days, that’s inspiring. It’s a good reminder that yoga doesn’t have to look the same every day; it’s about meeting ourselves where we are.
And welcome to the platform! You’re definitely doing it right
Hatlin it is refreshing to have you energizing this venue, I appreciate the connections and dialogue when it happens here. I can add that yoga has taught me to ask How Are You Today everytime I am on the mat. And that means listening for and to the answer, making every session something fresh even with a class I am repeating. I really like reading that other people have these inquiries and experiences too. Thanks all.
