Keep it playful...
The weekend with Tony Riddle came and went and it has left a lasting impression on both Suzanne and I, as well as a lot of the people who attended.
We had two brilliant days of laughing, playing, hugging, crawling, squatting, jumping, wiggling, and wobbling until our legs felt like they didn't belong to us anymore.
There was so much to unpack from the weekend (way too much to go into any depth here) but I was struck by one thing in particular. We played a couple of games with partners in the room where the object of the game was to be led by our partner freely and without any resistance. It was fun and also hard work as we were manipulated into unusual shapes and positions by each other (using minimal or no touching).
What was so noticeable in this game was how freely everyone was able to move and how loose we could be in our bodies when that was the object of the game.
As someone who adjusts those very same bodies every day in yoga class it was incredibly interesting to observe how, when new and unexpected patterns are introduced to the body - without any expectation in advance of what those patterns should look or feel like - the body and mind can be totally free of preconceptions, self-consciousness, fear of injury, or the desire to 'get it right'. The freedom with which people were moving their bodies made me realise how much we can become locked into repetitive patterns in our yoga practice.
When we become more focused on getting the posture correct, or getting through it so that we can get to the next one, we can create so much tension and rigidity in both the body and the mind. But when we treat it like a game, like a child playing, as we did last weekend, we can find unexpected softness, freedom, and flow. And then yoga practice can take on a new, and maybe even more joyful, expression.
So I'm trying to approach each asana in the ashtanga system as if I've never practised it before. I'm trying to feel the movement in each breath and the playfulness inherent in moving my body like a child. I encourage you to try this approach. It will do wonders for you both physically and mentally and, I expect, will help you to live a long and pleasant life, continuing to enjoy practising into old age.
A huge thank you to Tony and to everyone who came along.
YOU ARE LOOOOOOVED!!