Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign hello and welcome to Deep in your yoga practice. I am Lauren Leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri. And today we are talking about back to school. It's almost fall, all the kids are back in school or people are back in college, and maybe it's time for you to recommit to your yoga practice and get back on your mat. So in the spirit of back to school, this is back to Yoga recommitting to your practice. And I hope for you it's a motivational reset for late summer, early fall. Welcome. I'm so happy you're here. As summer winds down and routines start to reestablish, and it is the perfect time to reconnect with your yoga practice, whether you've drifted away or just need a fresh perspective. I know for me things get a little chaotic and off rhythm in the summer.
[00:01:09] There's so much to do, there's a lot of fun to be had.
[00:01:14] It's also super hot, so sometimes that's demotivating. So when the air starts to get a little cooler, it feels like the perfect time to reground and get back into a rhythm and routine. There is this back to school energy in the air right now and there's the whole cultural rhythm that comes with it of new beginnings. You can think fresh notebooks, sharpened pencils, new schedules, fall energy. We transition from the expansiveness of summer, which is pitta season, into an early vata season. So more structure, more introspection, more focus is needed. Pitta in Ayurveda, which is associated with summer is fire. There's a lot of heat, a lot to do, a lot of drive, sometimes burn out. And as we move into vata season of fall, it's the season of air, of ether. There's a lot of movement and change. It's transitional and. And it can feel unstable at times. So getting back into these rhythms and routines is a way to balance out that energy and to feel more grounded in your being. So this season invites us to reestablish habits that are supportive to us. And just a reminder as we get into this that recommitment doesn't mean perfection, it just means presence. It just means trying. And what a perfect place to practice that your yoga mat. So we do fall out of practice for many reasons, and I say practice in the context of really almost anything in life. But we'll focus on yoga today. But we fall out of our practice due to busy schedules, due to travel, maybe parenting, burnout at times, physical and emotional disruption. Due to things that are happening in our personal lives or things that are happening in our city, in our country, in the world. It has been a summer of chaos. So I know I'm personally feeling the need to really ground and establish this rhythm to help keep me focused, feeling safe in my body and in my purpose. Sometimes shame or guilt can prevent re entry into your practice. I've definitely experienced this before.
[00:03:36] Not as much with my yoga practice, because I do feel the mat welcomes me back, but in life in general.
[00:03:43] I went through a period of time in college where I had really bad anxiety and I would miss class. And the more I would miss class, the more my anxiety would build. And it just turned into this snowball where I'd end up dropping a class because I just couldn't get myself back into that rhythm or routine because I felt full of shame. I wish I could talk to that girl now and let her know that it's not shameful. It was just the state of my mental health at the time. Because when we remove that shame, it's easier to show up. It doesn't feel as humiliating, as embarrassing.
[00:04:20] And I'm here to tell you as a yoga teacher that you never need to feel that. If you've been gone two weeks, if you've been gone a year, we are always so happy just to see you back on your mat. And you don't need to do yoga for us or for anyone else. It's just for you. And we celebrate that so much. You might have fallen out of your practice because you've lost inspiration, or maybe you don't have any clear goals set around it. It can feel maybe mundane. You start to lose focus, lose the point a little bit, and I think that's really normal. We'll talk about what goes into reigniting the spark. But regaining focus, finding your drishti, your true north, can be such a healing part of this process and bring us back to what we know is so good for us. So we talked about reasons why we might fall out of practice. I'm sure there's many more. Let's also talk about what it might take to reignite the spark. So one is coming back to your why. What first drew you to yoga? Why did you come to your yoga mat? You might think about that for a moment because it could inspire you to come back. But you might also be coming back from a different perspective with different needs this time. So you might ask yourself, what kind of practice do I need now? Do I need something that's very physical? Do I need something restorative, something special, spiritual. Really tune in to what you might be needing and be willing to make that pivot. Maybe you've only done Ashtanga yoga for years and now it's time to try something else. Maybe you're a restorative queen and it's time to try Vinyasa flow. Figure out what it is your soul needs right now and give yourself permission to have it. It can still feel like a big thing even when you know your why. Or know what you might be needing right now to actually get back into a studio or gym or on your mat. But here are some tips to make re entry feel more doable and nourishing for you. So you can start really small. You don't have to commit to six days a week of 75 minute yoga classes, although that would be great. You might commit to five or ten minutes a day. What does that look like? Does that mean meditation? Does that mean breath work? Does that mean getting out of bed and doing maybe five sun salutations? It can be absolutely that simple. And another tip would to be choose your favorite teacher. So if you have a favorite teacher that you're missing, sign up for their class, say hello and they will be so happy to welcome you back with open arms. Or you might even choose a style that just feels so fun for you. And go do that because it's going to be so much easier getting into something if it's fun. If you're doing yoga at home, I recommend setting up your space with intention. So maybe having a little yoga corner yoga room if you're really lucky, and making it special. Set the mood. Light your incense if you like that, or your candle, dim the lights, put some music on, set the mood. And that can help you get into the groove of your yoga practice. You might also use a yoga journal to track and reflect on your practice. I have a yoga practice journal. I can link to it in the show notes, but it is really simple. One page for each practice and it gives you a chance to become more intentional and then to reflect on each practice. And I think if we take that time to reflect, it drives home our why and our purpose. It helps integrate what we've learned and it really becomes a part of you. You also might try something new, maybe a workshop, a class format, a playlist, a teacher training, something to reignite the spark, to get yourself moving in a little bit different way and maybe to get that dopamine hit of learning something new. I want to use this opportunity to reflect on a Couple of different pieces of yoga philosophy that might inspire you in this season to get back on the mat. The first is tapas. This is one of the niyamas in yoga.
[00:08:26] It's an observance for the spiritual path and tapas is the discipline or inner fire to keep showing up. I also like to think of it as devotion. So take a moment to consider what or who you're devoted to.
[00:08:43] And that might take really thinking about your values, maybe the world you wish to see, the relationships that you would like to be closer, the highest self you would like to become, whatever that might be and show up for that, show up to become that or to become closer to that. What are you devoted to? Another concept is abiasa which in yoga philosophy is consistent, dedicated practice over time. So a practice becomes firmly established when we show up to it regularly and with a sense of enthusiasm. The other or the yin to the yang of abhyasa is vairagaya which is non attachment to the results. So it's this focus on the practice or the process without focusing too much on whatever the results of that are. So in yoga philosophy these two concepts, abiasa and varagaya, come hand in hand. They need each other. We're not fully non attached without practicing, without showing up. And we're not practicing in such a way that we are so attached to a goal that it takes the enthusiasm out of it. So we practice, we show up, we let go of the results and there is honestly so much contentment to be found in that method. Yoga is less about how often we do it, it's more about how we do it with attention, compassion and commitment. So speaking of commitment, here are a few ways to recommit right now. One is to schedule your practices like appointments, so actually sign up for classes. A lot of studios, including ours, do have late cancellation fees. So you have some skin in the game to actually show up. So schedule it like an appoint and put it in your calendar and treat it with the reverence and respect that everything else in your life gets. You might join a studio challenge or a community event. The challenge can be motivating. We have one going on right now at True Love Yoga for our 10 year anniversary. You can check out all the details at the studio or through our socials. You might sign up for a new class or a teacher training. So trying something new, getting out of your comfort zone, doing something fun and then teacher training would be really committing hard to your practice for a set period of time. Ours is 6 months for 200 hour 12 months for 300 hour. And it's different at different places, but that can be a really great way to deepen your practice and to commit. If you're ready for it, you might create a home practice ritual that can include candles, playlists, props. That doesn't necessarily mean just getting on your mat and seeing what happens, although certainly you can do that. But you can take classes online. We offer lots of virtual classes at True Love Yoga and have a huge online library as well. So if you can't get into a studio, we still have you. Like I mentioned earlier, you might start journaling your practice. You could use the yoga practice journal and track how you feel before and after. I found tracking for me can be a really motivating way to stick with something. You might explore new themes, maybe balance, strength, surrender. And you have the opportunity to do this not only by the classes you choose to take, but the intentions that you set each time. So what would you like to call in more of in your life? You have the opportunity to do that on your mat every single time. You also might set a monthly intention or practice goal. So what is your overarching theme for the month? What are you needing? It might be like one word like surrender, commitment, fun. That's completely up to you. And a goal might be how many classes you attend in that period of time. Or maybe you're working toward crow pose or something like that. I know we talked about Abiasa and Vargaya, so. So I'd say if you are choosing like a pose goal, make it more about the journey than the arrival. So it's about learning the posture, maybe improving, getting better over time. Even though it can not always be a straightforward path upward when you're working through a posture.
[00:12:58] And if you can do the posture by the end of the month, great. And if you can't, that's okay. That doesn't mean that your time and your effort wasn't worthwhile. It absolutely was. And it's a great thing to reflect on whether or not it happened. So those are different ways to recommit right now. I encourage you or even challenge you to choose one right now and just go for it. Maybe sign up for that class and see how it goes. I also want to invite you to recommit to your practice at True Love Yoga. It is our 10th birthday this month and we have all kinds of amazing offerings. We have $50 for our first month membership. That is our old school pricing from 10 years ago, our founders membership pricing and we also have lots of fall classes and workshops happening. We have our yoga practice journal and we have a wonderful challenge going on which you can find out all about through our socials. I hope to see you at the studio or online. You are always welcome on the mat. No matter how long it's been. There is no shame. There are only open arms for you. And you might reflect on what's one small step I can take today to recommit to my practice. Maybe go back to that list of ways you can recommit right now. And if you know anyone in your life who wants to get on the mat for the first time or needs to get back on the mat, send them this episode. Hopefully it will inspire them to take one step toward recommitment. So welcome back to school. Welcome back to yoga. Happy Fall. We'll chat soon. Om Shanti. Om. Peace.
