It's Not About What It Looks Like, It's About What It FEELS Like!

I am amazed every day how much Yoga and Riding have in common.  And how each practice benefits the other, when you really pay attention.  Especially with my subject line today--"It's about what it FEELS like, not what it looks like".

I feel very fortunate that my Yoga Teacher Training and my instructors, Don and Amba Stapleton of Self Awakening Yoga, placed the most emphasis on how yoga feels in your body and how to make yoga accessible for everyone, no matter their "fitness" or "ability" level.  One of Don's key phrases when we were learning how to teach yoga and were discovering things about our own bodies was "Isn't that interesting!"  He never discredited what we were feeling or questions that we asked; he gave us permission to explore on our own what felt best for us at that time.  There was never an emphasis on what the pose "looked like"  it was always about what it "felt like" and if that feeling was helpful for our experience and our bodies.  

Today there are so many photos on Instagram and Facebook showing amazing Yoga Poses being done by anyone and everyone.  Some of those poses can be intimidating and give the impression that you have to be able to do THAT to do Yoga.  So not true!!!   

There are many poses I will never do, even after practicing yoga for over 20 years.  They just aren't right for my body.  It's about what FEELS good in your body--not what it LOOKS like!

So, the connection with riding.  Sorry, it took me a while to get here.  

With riding, we are also always looking for that FEELING . . .  when the horse is straight and supple and moving forward; or taking a 3 foot jump in stride or that awesome feeling of a gallop across the field.  And it is just a feeling, when everything comes together just right.   We never get to see what corresponds with that feeling, unless someone is taking a video or maybe catching the perfect moment in a still photo.  And, it may just be a few strides, but if you have felt the FEELING, you know what I mean!  It's that something that we work toward with our horses every day.  It's fleeting--it comes and goes--but when you FEEL it you know that it's benefitting your horse too.  Just like that "perfect" yoga pose for you!

So, find that feeling in your yoga practice.  That feeling of the perfect version of the pose FOR YOU!  Not what you see on the internet.  There aren't any "right" ways to do yoga.  There are ways to practice safely to protect yourself from injury, but it really is a FEELING.  Just like riding! 

We can think of one of the Yamas in Yoga--Ahimsa, with this topic.  The Yamas and Niyamas are the first two parts of Yogi Patanjali's Eight Limbs of Yoga. 

The Yama, Ahimsa, resonates with me in this discussion because it is translated as nonharming.  Practicing your yoga with kindness and compassion towards yourself (not "harming" yourself by trying poses that may not work for your body) and riding your horse with kindness and compassion (only asking for what they are physically prepared to do at that time--not over-facing them).  That is practicing Ahimsa towards yourself and your horse.  

So the next time you are in the saddle or on your mat, see what you FEEL.  What feels right for your body and for your horse?

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