How to blossom in your yoga practice

 
If you find a flower that is closed you don't force it open. You know it's just a matter of time. You would not pull those unformed new petals apart and say: Hurry Up!  Be Beautiful Now! 



I have to remind myself (and my students) to be gentle when we approach the body.  If I find that there is some tightness or restriction,  it does not help to force it and say OPEN NOW!  I have learnt from my teachers of  #scaravelli and #kaiut and #yogamais methods that I cannot force my progression. 


No,  just as you can't force a flower to bloom before its time, you can't force your body to open before it's ready either.


What you can do is make sure the conditions are right.  Our bodies need warmth, sunlight, water, good nourishment,  fresh air and love,  just like flowers do.  When we plant a flower, we know nothing happens for a while, as the plant spends time connecting to the environment, growing roots, grounding,  breathing, and it may appear as if nothing is changing or happening for a long time.  


That's like our yoga practice.  We just do our work, daily, weekly and yearly and unless you pay close attention you may miss the tiny areas of growth, the little shoots, new roots, so much development and growth happening all the time as you continue your practice.  But you might miss it if you are only focusing on, or expecting a big bloom, a big change, a showy display of colour.     


Eventually,  you may have a moment where something blossoms, where it feels very different, where once you found tightness there is an openess. These moments of epihany are the flowers of our practice.  But they can't be forced. 


You have an incredible ablility to blossom, it is always within you, and by gently  cultivating the right conditions, with patience and consistency,  the flowers will grow. 


For more information about Kathy White Yoga, the #kaiutyogamethod I teach and how you can blossom in your body and your mind no matter what age you are - you can get access to my free guide on how to WD40 your joints by going to www.kathywhiteyoga.com

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