My yoga path so far
My first ever experience of yoga was back in 2007 in a London gym with about 15 or so others, though unsure at first, I perservered. I attended the weekly classes with an attitude of ‘this will get me fit and help me stay slim’ and I didn’t think about yoga from one week to the next. However, since those early days my practice has certainly changed and developed in many ways. There have been times when it’s been more prominent in my life and times when it has very much been neglected. I’ve attended a number of types of yoga class, from those like my first encounter to more “authentic” experiences, such as in Kochin, Kerala where I had a private lesson in the teacher’s own living room, furniture pushed to the sides. I’ve been exposed to a number of different styles, from the intense Sivananda routine to the more relaxing rhythms of Satyananda yoga and the yoga inspired by the great Krishnamacharya.
In the early days my practice was very much dominated by asana practice and pushing myself to my physical limits: as many who are new to yoga, getting fit and getting the toned, supple body of a yogi were my main aims. My definition of yoga was asana practice; I didn’t really know about or care much for the other aspects. Today my practice is much more balanced and as a result I feel I am much more balanced within myself and my definition of yoga has certainly changed (though, I’m not entirely sure what it would be).
These days, my ideal start to the day is 1 1/2 – 2 hours spent on my mat; broken down into the following four stages:
- Centering, concentrating on my breathing for 10-20 minutes to tune in to myself and to the moment
- Asana practice (beginning with some gentle movements to warm up and then progressing into the more demanding positions – there will usually be some salutations, as I love this sequence)
- Pranayama
- Meditation (or at least again, watching my breath and watching my thoughts, trying to simply “be” in the moment)
The unintentional “self-guru”
As I said, I’ve experienced a number of different kinds of yoga lesson and since returning from India in September 2013, I’ve been searching for a yoga teacher who suits me and for a number of reasons, I am currently flying solo.
However, I am not completely alone: I have my books and I have my course material from the BWY Foundation Course, which I completed in 2013. I follow the Sivananda sequence or follow a programme from Swami Pragyamurti’s Yoga for Prisoners and Other Castaways (despite the title, you don’t actually have to be a prisoner to benefit from the sequences!). Or, I create my own sequence, using what I have learnt along my yoga path so far, from some of the great teachers I have had the fortune to stumble across.
I have also downloaded yoga nidra and meditation apps to provide guidance in what I find to be the more “difficult” aspects of yoga. It is tough at times though, and I hope to soon find a teacher who I can be inspired by. I’m being patient and believe that the right teacher will come along at the right time. For now, it seems that being my own “guru” is helping me to grow personally and I don’t think it’s coincidence that it is also during this same period that my passion for baking has also become stronger, as an increase in creativity is said to be just one of the many benefits of a regular yoga practice.
Yogi Bakes 