10 Useful Beliefs for Your Yoga Practice
by Paul D’Arezzo, M.D.

1) There is great power in beginnings.

There is no right or wrong time or age to start yoga. There are no disabilities that preclude one from starting. If you’ve done yoga before, this is a good time to start again. Body too fat, too old, too stiff–all these are just excuses of the mind. And every day we practice, we come back to that beginning, to accepting ourselves wherever we find ourselves.

2) Support and encourage yourself no matter how much you do.

Don’t get caught in the game of demanding so much of yourself that you end up getting burnt out or giving up completely. If you can only go to a class once a week, that’s fine. If you practice for twenty minutes three times a week, that’s okay too. If you do more, that's fine too. Keep it fun and feel good about yourself for whatever you are able to do.

3) Don’t bring competition and comparison to your practice.

Let your yoga practice be a respite from this. Everyone can do some things better than others. Everyone starts out with different genetic blueprints for strength and flexibility. And people at different times in their lives are willing or able to spend more time practicing. It's normal and fun to feel proud of finally being able to do a difficult asana but as soon as we become overly concerned with comparing ourselves with others, we lose the heart of yoga.

4) Listen to your self.

You are the final authority in your yoga practice. No one knows you better than you. No teacher, no expert, no book. Yoga means union and part of this union is a re-union, a return to the trusting and listening to our own bodies and our own selves.

5) Treat your body with kindness.

An Indian saint was dying and as he lay there, he thanked all the parts of his body. He said, "I’d like to thank my legs for carrying me around all these years. I’d like to thank my hands for picking up things..." And in this way he thanked all the parts of his body. This is the type relationship we are striving for with our bodies. One of love. Yoga is not something where we force or push or demand. Like love and all other worthwhile things in life, the more we accept and flow and allow, the more all good things come our way.

6) Each time we practice is perfect and complete in itself.

Too often we get in the habit of thinking someday I’ll be good enough. Someday. But really each time we practice, each time we do any posture, whether we fall over, or whether we do it perfectly, each time is perfect and complete in itself. The person doing yoga for the first time is equal to the guru who has done it for a zillion years. There is a place we get to by practicing yoga but we get there by accepting ourselves moment by moment by moment.

7) Each posture builds on the ones before it.

When babies finally walk, it is all the stages that came before that allow them to take those first steps. First the baby has to develop the muscles to roll over, then to sit up, and finally to crawl. Beginning postures lead to later poses. Don't underestimate these learning stages. You can't walk before you crawl and it is often dangerous to try to.

8) Trust the process of yoga.

Yoga is a journey. Yoga is an adventure. We can't always be sure of the next step in our yogic journey, but we can trust that it is in the direction of our own positive unfoldment. Trust and be open to where yoga will lead you.

9) There is often an ebb and flow to our yoga practice.

There are times when our energy or interest waxes and wanes. Sometimes we may feel we are getting nowhere, or even going backwards! This is all normal. As we continue, we recognize that it is often during these times that some internal pieces of the puzzle which make up ourselves are being put into place. Just because we don't see any movement on the surface, doesn't mean nothing is going on.

10) Yoga develops the whole person.

At first we may think yoga is about stretching, getting more flexible, stronger, more in balance. It is. But part of the beauty of yoga is that along with this external alignment of our bodies comes an internal alignment–a gradual, gentle, realigning of our internal selves. It is great when we can do the tree pose or garuda, the eagle, but perhaps even greater when we allow yoga to bring that strength, balance and equanimity into all other aspects of our lives.

Paul D’Arezzo is a long-time student of yoga and physical activity. He is currently in JJ’s Level 4 class.

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