2019-10-01_In_The_Moment_

38 CalmMoment.com

wellness

that I went into my day a lot less tense, less

irritable, and less tired.

I realised that the way I’m wired means

grounding, slow, mindful practices serve me

better physically and mentally. Of course,

what’s right for me isn’t necessarily right for

anyone else, and I’m certainly not knocking

the benefits of a strong yoga practice. A

strong practice worked very well for me at a

certain point in my life and I still do a strong

practice sometimes, when it feels right. But

these days, I build it up slowly, keeping the

strong part slightly shorter and then taking

time to bring myself back down to balance.

Even if you feel that you love a certain type

of yoga, I invite you to experiment with your

practice, too. It’s easy to get stuck in a cycle

without considering that your needs might

change on an hourly, weekly or even yearly

basis. To begin with, you could start by

asking yourself: ‘What kind of yoga suits me

best at different times of the day? What is

optimal in terms of my body clock, my

energy levels and my schedule? What kind of

practice would benefit my lifestyle?’ And

perhaps a more difficult – but no less

important – question is: ‘How does this

actually make me feel?’

Remember, in the same way that your

taste buds enjoy something that may not

agree with your stomach, what your mind

craves might not be what your body enjoys

or needs. By asking these questions, you’ll

not only be able to create a sustainable

practice, but also find a way to step back

from what you think you should be doing

and move towards what serves your body

and your mind.

Practice-wise, if you’ve been practising a

certain style of yoga for a while, try

something new. If you tend to practise at a

certain time of day, change it around. Keep a

note of what you practise, when you practise

and in particular, pay attention to how you

feel before and afterwards. Be aware that

what you need from your practice will

change at different times and cycles of your

life, too. Keep asking: ‘Why am I doing this?’

and ‘What do I want this to bring me?’ Keep

questioning, find what works for you; find

your own truth – this is a technique that can

help you to find balance both on and off the

yoga mat.

By setting aside some time to investigate

and experiment, you’ll be able to develop a

balanced practice that serves you and your

body better, helping you to sustain and fully

enjoy it in the years to come.

Esther Ekhart

Esther Ekhart has been

teaching yoga for over

20 years. As a founder of

EkhartYoga.com she has

thousands of students

worldwide following her

online classes. She teaches

dynamic styles like Vinyasa

Flow and Hatha, as well as

slower practices like Yin

yoga and meditation.

Listen to your body and

mind – your needs may

change on a regular

basis, suggests Esther.

Put it into practice

At EkhartYoga.com you’ll find a huge range

of online yoga classes – as well as other handy

online resources – from energising Vinyasa flows

to grounding Yin classes, to help you investigate

and find your balanced yoga practice.

Type in the code YOGAMOMENT at signup to

enjoy a 30-day free trial, exclusive for In The

Moment readers.

Finding out what works

for you best will help

improve your balance,

both on and off the mat.