Yoga Strong

What do you need strength for this week? As you practice today, focus on developing strength in each movement and posture. Let go of the impulse to focus on muscular flexibility, especially if that is your usual inclination. Which areas tend to stay disengaged as you practice, until you bring full attention to them and isolate them? What do you need to do to wake them up? If you don't know, talk to your yoga teacher for some ideas. If you already know, then do it. Do it in a class, even if it means modifying the postures being cued by the teacher, or do it on your own at home, making up a sequence that challenges your weaker areas. Do it even if it means doing the postures sloppily, falling out of them, or not doing them as "deeply" as you usually do. Do it even if it means not going all the way into some poses so that your muscles stay engaged evenly. Wake up the parts of your body that are unconscious, underdeveloped.

For example, if your hip flexors (muscles on the fronts of your thighs and pelvis) and back muscles are stronger and tend to do your "core" work for you, find the movements that require you to engage your abdominals and hip extensors (muscles on the backs of your thighs and pelvis) instead. You may need to take your navasana (boat posture) lower to the ground. You may need to pull your lowest front ribs toward your front hip points in each down dog. You may need to stop piking each time you jump forward or back, and instead curl into a little ball. Your yoga teachers can show you many ways to integrate your efforts to strengthen a weaker area to bring balance to your body so that it works more fully as a whole.

And let your yoga practice help you develop the strength you need off the mat. You can do things without relying on those parts of yourself that usually "take over" to "get things done." For instance: If you rely on your organizational skills to get things done, wake up your spontaneity. If your interpersonal talents are strong, take some time to be alone and wake up your introspective abilities.

Most people are beginning to realize that yoga isn't all about stretching. You've known it for a while, I suspect. So today bring your focus to waking up those less-used, unconscious areas with mental awareness and muscular effort. If you notice something new, share it with us here!