TRY SOMETHING NEW
And now for something completely different: Adam Hocke explores why it’s important to keep learning in order to keep our practice fresh
Teacher zone
I’ve learned a lot about practicing yoga by not practicing yoga. Let me explain.
Long-time yoga practitioners and teachers can easily fall into habit and lose the ability to have a ‘beginners mind’ when we get on the mat. Even if our practice is consistent, we can get into a rut and do the same old poses and sequences with diminishing returns. We can get lazy, complacent, and incurious.
As a dedicated student and teacher myself, I know that to sustain a life-long yoga practice, sometimes you need to shake it up. My unorthodox solution was to practice something new.
Don’t panic! Neither you nor I need to give up yoga. I, at least, needed to take some time away to be reminded of how to be a student. The humility forced by taking up a new discipline be it physical, creative, or academic can teach us many lessons on our ability to mindfully practice, face difficulty, and persevere. It has reminded me of how wonderful it is to learn and how vital yoga practice is to my wellbeing. Here’s how I did it: