Open to Discovery and Increase Fun!
One of the things I’ve learned from teaching yoga now for over 20 years, is that if I’m not having a good time, I won’t want to continue. One way I keep it interesting and create fun for myself is to keep diversifying how I practice and teach yoga. Last year, I did this by incorporating the use of tennis balls and a variety of Somatics exercises into my practice and classes. It was a great excursion into freeing up muscle tension in lots of creative ways and I was energized by it. Partner poses are another fun way to keep the energy up for everybody. Another year, we learned a new mantra each month.
Recently, I wanted to mix it up again, so I’ve been exploring how to bring Somatic movements directly into the poses. I’m finding that I get immediate feedback from my body; a place that felt tight a moment ago feels loser after applying the Somatics. My students are noticing the same things. And although this is a very unconventional way to practice yoga, most people seem receptive. In fact, I’ve been encouraging my students to keep an open mind and a spirit of discovery. For me, being open to discovery is a game-changer. Without it, I get rigid or fixed on how it “should be,” and then I’m not having much fun: my inner critic can go wild when things are not going the way I think they “should.” But when I open to possibility, I become receptive to how things are: I shift out of my limited concepts and patterns of being and my critic takes a holiday. Much more fun!
This quality of being open-minded is one of the main teachings of yoga, similar to the idea of surrendering our attachments to outcomes or being with what is arising without trying to change or fix it. It’s a great antidote to suffering. I also think it may be an important ingredient in playing.
When you come to class, when you engage in a relationship or in your work or play, I invite you to open to discovery; allow yourself to let go of how it’s been before and get wiling to be surprised. I bet you’ll have a lot more fun!
