So just before the Covid lockdown, you find your perfect yoga teacher and class. The time and date works well for you and the teacher gets you. You even feel comfortable with the other students. You feel like you have finally found a yoga class that you can commit to long term.

Enter Covid 19 restrictions and all bets are off. No more yoga class, unless you decide to go online. You can do that, you have the space at home and your wifi is pretty good.

You set yourself up in preparation for said class and you are proud of yourself for not giving up on yoga. The class begins. The teacher apologises as she has never done an online yoga class before. She starts to take you through some warm ups and some breathing. You feel yourself relaxing into the class and into your body. Other cares and worries are getting left behind.

Then it happens. The screen starts to glitch for a few seconds, then freezes, before internet connection is lost. You feel stress creeping fairly quickly into your body. Then somehow internet is reconnected and the class continues. You catch up. You feel better.

Then it happens.. Again, and again. Internet is lost. You feel like screaming and you want to throw the laptop out the window. You remember that this is a yoga class and you are supposed to be relaxing.

Somehow, all those years of listening to the words of your yoga teacher come back into your mind. You close your eyes.

SURRENDER….

BREATHE….

FOCUS ON THAT WHICH YOU CAN CONTROL….

BECOME THE OBSERVER

You become aware of tightness in your chest, tension in your shoulders and belly. You recognise these as the result of feeling frustrated and angry. You soften your belly, allow your shoulders to drop and deepen your breathing.

You realise that you cannot control internet connection. Let it go.

You have an hour of time that you have set aside for a yoga class, and your yoga mat is rolled out. You feel like you are all dressed up with nowhere to go. Ok so you can’t go to yoga class, and the online thing isn’t working for you today.

But maybe there is another way. Maybe you can simply do your own yoga. You stand in mountain pose on your mat and close your eyes. You follow the breath moving in and out of your body.

You realise your shoulders have tensed up again. You roll them slowly a few times and notice warmth and movement of energy throughout your body all the way into your feet. This feels delicious.

One thing leads to another.

Before you know it, you have worked your way through an entire hour of yoga.

Is this yoga? Or is this you just mucking around?

What is yoga anyway?

Yoga means to unite, to connect, to yoke.

As long as you are connecting with your body, your mind, your spirit / higher self, and your breath, you are practicing yoga. As long as you have a sense of self awareness of these aspects of yourself, you are practicing yoga.

Thoughts will come and go, feelings will come and go, insights may come. You may feel a sense of connection with all that is…a sense of oneness. Allow your yoga session to be what it is, without judgement. This is your yoga session.

I like to call this INTUITIVE YOGA, where you tune into how you are feeling at the time and allow yourself to go from there. The inner wisdom of your body and being is your guide.

I will be writing more about Intuitive Yoga in the following weeks. Watch this space…..

Namaste.