Self-Care in Yoga

A Note on Self-Care in Yoga

It brings me joy to share with you the journey of wellness. Before we begin practicing together I want to make a few things clear, especially being that we are practicing together virtually and I am not physically with you to offer corrections or modifications. 

If you have ever been to my classes in person, you know that I begin every class asking if anyone has an injury, pain or sensitivity or other special accommodation such as having had a recent surgery. I ask this so that I know where you are right now and may be of better service to you, able to guide you with more awareness of your specific needs. In the case of virtual yoga classes, such as those that I offer through Yoga Selvática, you must be responsible for providing this extra measure of caution for yourself. Please, before beginning any of the yoga lesson videos, check in with yourself and bring awareness to the reality of any recent injuries or recoveries you are presently facing. Throughout your practice, please be extremely mindful of the information your body is giving you, specifically feelings of sensitivity and pain. You know your own body infinitely better than I do and to honor yourself you must trust its messages, both those that urge you to move deeper into a posture and those that ask you to come back. If you feel pain during any posture, STOP! Retreat back and take a child’s pose (if this is a posture of rest/ease for you) or go back to the last posture of our practice that felt good and stay there.

Yoga is not about doing every posture, doing postures “perfectly”, or pushing yourself into pain. It is about the unification of the body and mind, and living toward higher consciousness.

If you are one of the many of us who struggle with perfectionism, yoga is a great way for you to deconstruct that struggle and begin learning to be more patient and gracious with yourself. As your yoga teacher, I will always do my best to protect you in class through queues and offering modifications, but since we are physically apart, I cannot know all the details of how you are doing in your body before any given practice. With this in consideration, please listen to and honor yourself by taking care to not overdo anything. Be an active listener to your own body throughout our yoga practices and you won’t go wrong.

Remember that it is all a process, and if you don’t feel you can quite achieve a certain position today with how you feel in your physical body, find a position that does feel good to you and take a few breaths there before moving on to what’s next. If we commit to taking care of ourselves in our practices together, we ensure a patient, present, and painless yoga experience that will hopefully leave you feeling better than you did when you arrived to your mat.

Thank you for caring for yourself and for trusting me to guide you. If you have any questions or comments regarding this topic, please reach out through the website’s contact form. 

be well,

XO Lex