Yoga Is More Than Asana
If you’ve practiced yoga for a while, sure, you know that yoga is much more than the asanas or movements we do on the mat.
“Yoga is not about touching your toes or standing on your head, but what you learn along the way” etc. etc. But I have to admit that knowing this intellectually doesn’t stop me from sometimes feeling like I’ve lost my practice when I’m not able to explore movement.
And this week has been a good example of that. I’ve had a tough bout of back pain and have been mostly stuck in bed. I’m writing this from bed right now! I’m not able to twist, lift my arms, or breath deeply – tricky when it comes to ‘doing’ some yoga, even gentle, restorative, or accessible yoga. Or is it?
There are actually lots of ways to practice yoga when your ability to move is impaired, or when you are looking for something beyond movement.
This week I’m going to share a few things I’m doing that are helping me to rest, recover, and be patient with my body while it returns to health. I’m so grateful that yoga taught me these things, and that I am able to share them with you. I hope you find it useful.
6 ways I practice yoga when I can’t ‘do’ yoga.
- Breathwork
- Meditation
- Ethics
- Compassionate Self-Care
- Acceptance
- Community
Yoga is more than Asana, it’s also:
Breathwork:
Pranayama, or breathwork, is a fundamental aspect of yoga that focuses on observing, managing, or guiding the breath to support physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
You can take a few minutes out of your day for mindful breath breaks, you can add breathwork techniques to your movement or meditation practice, or you can just allow yourself some space to breath through moments of stress.
Mindful breathing helps me to stay with my body through tough moments of pain, to ground myself through moments of anxiety, and to soothe myself through moments of frustration and I’m so grateful for that simple practice.
Meditation:
There are many definitions of meditation; the practice of cultivating mindfulness and inner stillness, the ability to observe our thoughts without judgment; a state of peace and clarity.
For me, meditation is a practice of returning to now. My mind is busy, and when I’m in pain my brain likes to catastrophize – oh no! What is this pain? Maybe I’ll never be able to return to work again, to hike, to do yoga, to lift weights – what is happening!?!
Meditation helps me to return to the present, to be able to sit with what is happening now, rather than reaching into the past when my body was more able or forecast some dire future where I’m further disabled. When I can sit with myself now, as I am, I can find quiet, self-awareness, loving-kindness, and often my pain and anxiety get a bit better.
Taking a mindful moment, or following techniques like body-scans, visualization, or autosuggestion are all useful techniques to help us to return to the present and find some stillness. I am so grateful for these simple practices.
Yoga Ethics:
The Yamas and Niyamas of the Yoga Sutras are the ethical guidelines that serve as the foundation of yoga philosophy, guiding us towards a life of integrity, compassion, and contentment.
This is something we can practice anytime – on or off the mat – in our relationship with ourselves, our relationship with others, and our relationship with the world. No matter what your movement ability is today, you can always practice the ethics of yoga, like non-harming, truthfulness, clarity, contentment, and self-study.
How you relate to yourself and others in times of challenge can be revealing – and I find that my practice of the ethics of yoga is most important when I’m tempted to get frustrated and impatient with myself for being less physically able when I’m experiencing a pain flare-up.
It can be tough to sit with yourself, to see the play of your mind and the impulses that might not serve your higher purpose, especially during times of challenge. But, to me, this is when it’s most important. To be able to make conscious choices that honor your values and respect those around you is a strong practice, but for me it is the practice, and I’m so grateful to have these foundations to guide me.
Compassionate Self-Care:
Compassionate self-care is about nurturing and honoring your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, no matter how you show up each day, and practicing loving-kindness towards yourself.
When we listen to our bodies, acknowledge our strengths and limitations, offer ourselves acceptance, and honor our unique needs, this is compassionate self-care.
I find that compassionate self-care asks us to practice humility, and to reassess our ideas about productivity and self-worth.
For example, when my pain is flaring up, I won’t get all my work done. My house won’t be as clean and tidy. My meals will be more about efficiency than usual (and comfort!) But I still value myself the same. My worth is not tied to how the world sees me as a productive citizen, or how I see myself as being successful at life. This is self-compassion in action.
For me, self care comes through engaging in activities that bring me joy and nourishment, like reading, listening to music, and spending time in nature, even if that’s just listening to the birds outside my window.
Self-care is aided by both giving and receiving in nurturing relationships. I am so grateful for the people around me who support me through tough times, and who let me support them in return.
Acceptance:
Acceptance invites us to cultivate contentment and gratitude for the present moment, regardless of external circumstances.
We practice radical acceptance by embracing life’s inevitable challenges and uncertainties with an open heart and mind.
We can cultivate gratitude by focusing on the abundance in our lives; what I have rather than what is missing.
We can let go of the need for perfection and comparison, recognizing that so much of our fulfillment and happiness comes from within, and is not dependent on external achievements or validation.
Acceptance can be tough in the midst of challenge, but I notice that if I can ground myself in something good, even if it’s that I have another breath to take, another chance to connect, another opportunity to learn, this can bring me a sense of peace.
Incorporating these aspects of yoga into your daily life can help you to cultivate greater self-awareness, inner peace, and compassion towards yourself and others, and help you to flow with the inevitable ups and downs of life.
I am grateful that yoga gives me a holistic practice that is not limited to physical movement and that embraces all aspects of being, even when the going is tough.
Community:
This past week we’ve been talking about how yoga is far more than asana. As we wrap up this project, let’s talk about the yoga of community.
While the yoga so often teaches us to look inward, we are also invited to look outward as well, to our conduct, connections, and how we support others and allow ourselves to be supported.
One particularly insightful yogi inspired this final post by commenting, “it’s not about asana, but maybe the friends you make along the way.” Heck yes! This led to me adding a 6th way that we practice yoga off the mat.
It’s not surprising to me that I initially overlooked the importance of community as a key part of my yoga practice when I began this project, it doesn’t come so naturally to me. As a yoga teacher and business owner, I’ve become accustomed to prioritizing support and assistance for others, yet I’ve struggled to be open to receiving help myself.
Ironically, I’m not alone in this.
We spend a lot of time giving and supporting others in our communities, but it’s equally important to be open to receiving support when we need it. I’ve come to understand the importance of reciprocity – the willingness to both give and receive care and support. By only focusing on giving and never allowing others to support us, we risk closing ourselves off from meaningful connections and the intimacy they bring.
True community isn’t built solely on one-way giving; it thrives on mutual care and support. This truth resonated with me profoundly this week as I found myself in need of extra support in my own life – which sparked this whole discussion!
So, while I haven’t been able to physically practice yoga this past week, I’ve had a great opportunity to remember all the other ways that I practice and benefit from yoga in my life, including:
- Breathwork
- Meditation
- Ethics
- Compassionate Self-Care
- Acceptance
- and…Community!
I hope you have found this week’s discussion useful, and perhaps inspiring you to explore all the ways we can practice yoga beyond the asana.
I am grateful for my yoga community and all the care and support we share together. Thank you!
Want to learn more about Yoga Philosophy & Ethics? Join us for Yoga Philosophy Lifeskills or Professional Development
Want to explore more yoga discussions? Subscribe to our newsletter, or our YouTube channel for discussions, free yoga practices and more