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(773) 463-YOGA | info@bloomyogastudio.com 4663 N. Rockwell, Chicago, IL 60625 |
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The Thinking Yogi by Kerry Maiorca July 2005: Become your own Expert There are too many experts in our lives today. People we don’t even know want to tell us how to eat, exercise, and make our lives better in seven simple steps. Being bombarded by all of these experts undermines our confidence; the mountains of how-to books by the latest and greatest have us second-guessing what we thought we knew to be true about our bodies and lives. This can even happen (gasp!) in yoga. Yoga is being touted by so many of these experts as the thing to do to cure this condition or to prevent that one. A couple of months ago I saw an article in a magazine entitled 5 Yoga Poses You Should Never Do! This made me laugh out loud. To me, yoga is one of those places where the outside expert simply doesn't belong. Yoga is a practice of getting to know yourself. As a yoga student it can be difficult to wade through some of the dogma and rules that are often thrown into the mix. Many yoga experts make claims about the benefits that will come if you practice the poses in their particular way. These experts would have you believe that you cannot practice yoga unless it is done according to certain specifications. My objection to this sort of expert testimony is that there's no scientific basis behind it. No studies have been done to prove that it's preferable to roll onto the right side when coming out of corpse pose. There is no documented research about the benefits or risks of practicing inverted poses during the menstrual cycle. Most of us practice yoga because it makes our bodies feel good, helps to reduce stress, and generally contributes to a state of health and well-being in our lives. We don't need an expert to tell that it works, we can simply go to a yoga class and experience it firsthand! Because we have long been bombarded by these experts, it can be difficult to find out how to listen to our bodies and tap into our innate expert knowledge. This is where a yoga teacher can be invaluable! A good yoga teacher will serve as a guide in this journey of getting to know your body, of becoming the expert when it comes to all things you. Your teacher will offer alternatives to the classical poses, she'll encourage you to continually check in with your body and make sure what you're doing feels right, she'll help you learn to quiet the shoulds and the comparisons that your mind throws out, so that you can learn to rely on the only expert that matters: you. |
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