10 Things to Remember About Your Yoga Practice

1. Make your practice your own. Yoga is about connecting with your own intuition and the teacher inside of you. Only you know how it feels to be inside your body, so listen to what it is saying to you.

2. Build your foundation first. This means having the patience to work within the poses that are right for your practice today and not pushing yourself into advanced variations before your body is ready. Trust that everything will come when you are ready.  Remember that your yoga practice is a journey and not a destination; it isn't possible to master every asana on the first day! Even the most advanced yogis are still learning.

3. Strive for progress and not perfection. We all come to the mat with natural strengths and weaknesses. There are some poses that will come easily to you right away and some that you will struggle for months to achieve, there are some poses that maybe your body will never achieve and that is okay.

4. Honor and respect your body. Don't push past your physical limits of strength or flexibility. Learn to understand the difference between feeling challenged in a pose and feeling pain in a pose and know when to back off.

5. Don’t compare your practice to your neighbor. Everybody is different and everybody with experience the poses in a different way. Your practice is uniquely yours. Yoga is not about competing with yourself or others. Allow yourself to be inspired by someone else's practice, but not intimidated by it.

6. Be diligent. Stick with it. Do not give up. New yogis may find their first few classes to be especially challenging. Don't give up, there is so much space for growth within you, but the work begins on your mat.  It takes time, but if you stick with your practice you will see transformation in your mind, body and overall well-being.

7. Breathe! The breath is what separates yoga from other forms of exercise. When a pose feels particularly challenging or when your mind starts to wander, turn your attention back to your breath. Using your ujjayi breath helps to calm the mind and work safely in the poses.

8. Be present. Let the time on your mat be a little break from your ever growing to do list.  As you move through your practice focus on how your body feels each moment. Staying in the present moment and out of the past and the future provides a time to clear the mind and reenergize.

9. Relax, let go, just have fun! If you fall on your face, get back up and try again. Don't take yourself or your yoga class too seriously.

10. Take it with you! Live your yoga!  Remember that all of this patience, dedication, compassion that you learn in your practice can be applied to your daily life.




www.milwaukeepoweryoga.com

May Yogi of The Month

Congratulations to Louise Vraney, our May Yogi of the Month! Louise is a truly  

devoted student and we often see her in class twice daily! Here is what Louise

has to say about her yogi experience.

As repetitive knee injuries have limited my participation in running and soccer over the past few years, I was looking for something that I enjoyed doing but was easier on my joints.  I took a few Vinyasa classes around Milwaukee and really enjoyed them. After discovering Milwaukee Power Yoga, I was immediately hooked.  In the heated room, I began to regain my strength and tone my body.  I have regained so much muscle length and balance skills over the past few months of my practice.  Not only do I feel better about my physical appearance and athletic skills, yoga is always a place where I can take a break from my daily life and clear my mind.  My practice leaves me feeling satisfied and peaceful, and I go as many times a week as my schedule will allow. Laura's classes provide the perfect amount of variety so that I never feel bored, and I am thankful to have found such a wonderful studio!

Thanks Louise for sharing your experience with us.  We love the enthusiasm you bring to the mat and are so happy to have you as part of our community! 

Milwaukee Power Yoga