Author: Josie@YogaLocal

Do you tell yourself you can’t do yoga? And could this be the reason why?

Teaching yoga to beginners is not easy.

This is not a complaint by the way. Introducing yoga to first timers is very cool. I’m just saying – it’s not simple.

Here’s the why.

Beginners don’t know what feels right yet, take longer to follow cues and may push beyond their limits too soon. There’s a risk they’ll do something the body is not ready for so they need extra steps early on to get more aware of where their bodies are in time and space.

Some of us are not good at accepting it’s ok NOT to push for the full pose, to find our limit and step back from it. Even if our very skilled teacher reminds us… repeatedly. It takes a while. And that’s ok.

But the problem remains. One of two things will happen when fledgling first timers land in a class of seasoned regulars at a typical ‘All Levels’ class…

Why Runners Do Yoga X 7

If you run, yoga’s a good idea because…

Ok, let’s start with this. The more you can take care of you the more you are able to continue to enjoy and love life. Agree?

Cool. So how does that relate to running? Keep going. Anyone who loves and LIVES to run will know how it feels to have to hang up their runners for any length of time. And I’m guessing their long-suffering significant others most definitely do. Yes? Can I hear nods? Seriously, but that’s life right? We all want to do what we want to do and we are seriously not happy when something, anything; ill health, fatigue, motivation, pain or even our own belief in our ability, stops us in our metaphorical tracks.

So my answer to the question above is simply this. It’s a good idea for runners to take up a yoga practice because the more runners bring yoga into their world, the more runners will continue to enjoy their love of running.

Whatever you already might think a yoga practice is or does, I invite you to consider this. Yoga is a practice that helps us all continue to do what we LIVE and LOVE to do.

Revealing some whys?

Now I appreciate this is a somewhat short and simple answer. There’s loads more to say and I’ll be breaking it all down at the next Yoga for Runners/Athletes Series. If you’re interested in this five-week yoga course designed specifically for runners and athletic types, find out how and when to sign up here and at the end of this article. First here’s just some of the whys I’m always promising…

The four obstacles to achieving your goals

And why it takes courage to confront your dream.

What’s stopping us from realising our dreams? What drives one person to go after what they want, desire or need and another to settle – make do.

Why do some of us ask for more out of life, question why we’re here, and whether what we have achieved is what we even wanted in the first place?

And, while I’m at it, why do some people know what they really, really, REALLY, want, and others have no clue, or simply never ask?

Interested in exploring this with me? Come on in.

More on overcoming hard choices…Don’t resist

The devil is not in the detail, it’s in the denial.

Resistance is our enemy. That’s what author, Steven Pressfield tells me in his book, The War of Art.

Resistance is there any time it comes to making that first step – to meditate, take a yoga class, eat right, pursue a new career, end a relationship, pop the question, write a blog or any activity that rejects an instant fix in favour of long term growth, health or wellbeing. Put simply, any good choice we know to be good for us.

If we let it, resistance will start throwing up excuses of why we can’t, shouldn’t, won’t do what we know we need to do. Stuff like:

How to overcome making hard choices…

Part 1 …like starting a meditation practice.

Is the motivation to do what’s good for you hit and miss? You ate well all week, so tonight – what the heck, show me the ice cream…

Most of us know what’s good for us, but choosing right is hard. How so?

In Deepak Chopra’s and Rudolph Tanzi’s latest book, Super Genes, it throws up some answers.

According to my spiritual teacher, Deepak, and his genetic expert friend Tanzi, choice making it turns out is a skill. One we can cultivate and get better at to the point that eventually what we once thought was an impossibly hard choice (for us, but not necessarily everyone) becomes easy.

The secret?

Do less, achieve more.

Sound good? Here’s how.

If you’ve been spoon-fed on a menu of mantras like ‘no pain, no gain’, and ‘work hard, play hard’, you might be rolling your eyes around now at the idea of doing less and achieving more. Bear with me.

Nothing wrong with being driven, focused, consistent or passionate but stop sharpening those elbows for a second and ask yourself, how much are you forcing your way through life? And at what expense to your feelings of yumminess?

Seven ‘Aha’ moments during Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga Teacher Training

1. Anything is possible. (Law of Pure Potential) Have you ever told yourself any of the following? I’m not good enough, flexible enough, loveable enough, talented enough, young enough, been doing it enough? Enough is enough. Time to check out the first of Deepak’s Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. This one is all about exploring…

The perfect lesson at Perfect Health

Perfect Health Graduates February 2015 And probably not so perfect post…..oh well. Seems odd that during the last stretch of teacher training for Deepak’s Perfect Health programme, one lesson to really learn was – ‘don’t try to be so perfect’. Let me explain. It’s February 16, 2015 and I’m back in La La Chopra…

The Betrayal

I’m cheating on my mentor. There – I said it. I’m still ‘Living with Deepak’, but (oh dear) I’ve jumped into bed with Mastin Kipp. It all started on August 28 when Mastin emails me asking me saying he wants to talk about my purpose. (I’d signed up for his newsletter The Daily Love…