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nikki_dw
nikki_dw Posts: 126 Member
in Social Groups
Hey all,

I'm fairly new to yoga. I dabbled in it a bit in college but I've been hitting it hard at my local studio for the past several months. I've already seen a great improvement in the way I feel not to mention the way that I move. Just today I managed to get my feet off the ground for the first time in crow pose and held single leg side plank... before flipping over and falling on my face during a headstand :embarassed:

We all know that yoga is more than asanas but how do you keep yourself from letting the vanity of the practice not take over? Feel free to add me... I'd love to have some yogi friends on MFP.

Replies

  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    Welcome to the group and to the Yoga family! I'll give your post some thought and get back to you as its a good question.
  • Shan790
    Shan790 Posts: 280 Member
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    I struggle too with looking at yoga as an internal journey. I get excited when I can finally nail a hard pose. At first I was in competition mode. I wanted to go deeper bend further hold longer than the person on the mat beside me. I've outgrown that part of me but I still compete with myself. The way I see it as you get stronger and better at doing the asanas you also get stringer and better at the other parts of yoga too :)
  • odonogc
    odonogc Posts: 223 Member
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    I think practicing at home is what helped me with this. There's nobody to compare myself to, but nobody to share the excitement of breakthroughs either. I usually come here for those!
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,786 Member
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    Welcome!

    Thinking the following has helped me:
    There will always be someone who can do the pose better, hold it longer - and always someone who isn't able to do as well as you do. Doing a better pose, doesn't make me a better person.

    A home practice helps a lot. You have to figure out why you are doing the poses, which is a great way to explore the ego.
  • lcyama
    lcyama Posts: 209 Member
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    I notice that some days certain poses come to be better than other days. So nailing a handstand one day might just because my shoulders are more open, or my balance is better that day, or maybe just because. I TRY to go into class remembering this for myself and everyone else there, and just live in the moment. I do get a burst of joy when I nail a challenge pose, but I also know that the same pose may or may not come as easily next time.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    Welcome!

    I came to yoga from a small group competitive arena – that being internal martial arts – Tai Chi Chuan and Kung Fu, so I would be competitive with the person I was sparring against but not necessarily against the whole class at one time.

    So my feelings at yoga class were similar I wanted to be more supple, stronger and more accomplished than the person on the mat next to me, or the one person who was used most often by the teacher as a demonstration body – that would really stir up jealousies in me. Why was I not chosen to demonstrate that – I must not be good enough?

    Part of the solution for me was to consciously work with the people I found most challenging or the persons I felt most jealous about. I usually found it was because they had a valuable lesson for me to learn. Through doing this, I have become a really deep in member of a wonderful community rather than an outside partaker.

    I used to think the ego was something I needed to crush; to control. Now, when I have those feelings – and I still do – I ask myself what the other person has that I am feeling competitive or jealous about and see if I can work with them when we do partner work.

    Welcome and I hope this helps.
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
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    I've stepped away from vinyassa style yoga and gotten more into Kundalini yoga. The poses are totally different and more meditative. When I think about why it appeals to me so much I think the vanity of getting into different postures could be part of it. As I could do more like crow, headstand, I would feel that satisfaction and definately some vanity over being able to do the new postures...and honestly I felt good that I could do it and others in class could not. I think that taking some time away from flow has helped me reconnect with why yoga is important to me.
  • hellsbells3272
    hellsbells3272 Posts: 128 Member
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    I think there is competition in yoga - that is with yourself.
    Be the best you can, and try and be better than the last time you did yoga practice. Challenge your body. Remember to go careful if something is sore, but otherwise breathe into the poses and push your limit carefully. Always concentrate on your breath as it stops you thinking about other people and/or things.
    Enjoy :)
    Namaste
  • nenshali
    nenshali Posts: 331 Member
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    Hello everyone :)

    My name is Marina and I am fairly new to yoga. I'm not much of a spiritual person so I never considered it to be something for me. And while I still do struggle with meditative poses, in general - I love yoga.
    It's the first "sport" or exercise I am doing where I don't feel the need to be competitive. I don't need to 'get better than that girl next to me'. And it's not about burning kcal.

    I just want to get to peace with my body. I want to be more flexible and stronger.

    I haven't attended any yoga classes yet, I am just practicing at home. I'm still too anxious because I'm at the very beginning, I'm not very flexible and struggle with the easiest poses and I worry that I will feel embarrassed too much, so that I'll forget how muchI enjoy yoga and leave it because I'm not good enough. :embarassed:
    (I struggle a lot with perfection and yoga is the first thing for ages where I can accept, that it is about progress and that it's okay that I am not amazing from the beginning :blushing: )
    .

    I'd be happy if you added me to your friends list :):flowerforyou:

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