This is the last night of the workshop. As always, I feel like I’m taking a lot back with me – things I may not even be aware of yet, but that will manifest themselves in my practice, my studies and in my life.
Something I really like about classes at RIMYI is that they aren’t so much about learning asanas, but about the wisdom woven into the teachings. Students often ask
How do I practice?
How do I know I’m doing it right?
How do I sequence?
The Curious Nature of Yoga Practice
I often think students want straightforward, black and white answers. They want to know what to do, when and exactly how. The more I listen to students asking these questions, the more I feel we need to approach our asana practice with the same curiosity and rigor. If asanas were only a matter of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, wouldn’t the practice cease to be a practice?
Experimentation, failure, repeated trying, questioning, researching, reading, asking, observing…all these are as much part of asana practice as the actual physical doing of it. And this approach is what makes the practice tapas. Otherwise, it would be as simple as striking a pose and moving on to the next one on your checklist.
You have to be be your own teacher, Abhijata said. Tell yourself the instructions like we tell you the instructions.
Perhaps she is teaching us to reclaim the teacher within.
This is part of a series of blogs about my visit to RIMYI in 2025. Read the blog on the first Full Day of Practice and Learning and also an interesting blog about a pigeon that spoke to my heart.
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