Time to get centered without 'trying too hard.' A morning where I learned to be kind to myself through online yoga.
An interview opportunity led me to reconnect with yoga for the first time in a while.
The person who taught me was Yuri, a yoga instructor I had interviewed previously.
After the article was published, she reached out and asked, "Would you like to try an online lesson if you're interested?"
Actually, ever since that interview, I had been spending just five minutes each morning focusing on my breathing through yoga and meditation, or doing some light stretching.
I used to go to hot yoga a few years ago, but it had been years since I had fully dedicated an hour to yoga.
On top of that, it was my first online lesson.
I was a little nervous, but it was more comfortable than I imagined, and I had many realizations.
Today, I would like to write about that morning spent having some "time for myself."
<About Yuri>
Yuri
Yoga instructor. Active mainly in Shizuoka Prefecture with the concept of "Yoga that lets you be kind to yourself." Her encounter with yoga was in Yakushima. When she lost her mental and physical balance, she visited the island alone and was recommended yoga by the people she met there. Although she had lived a life unrelated to yoga, she became a yoga instructor because she wanted to share the appeal of "yoga that balances not just the body but also the mind" with many people, based on her experience of being saved on Yakushima.
<Yuri's Instagram>
Yoga without trying too hard
Yuri told me this at the beginning of the lesson.
In my class, there are only two 'failures'.
The first is 'getting hurt or causing injury'.
The second is 'comparing yourself to the person next to you'.
The person you should compare yourself to is not others, but 'yourself yesterday' or 'yourself before doing yoga'.
Please try to do it with the feeling of looking at a line graph within yourself.
Everything else is correct.
Whether your pose is 'beautiful' is not important; what's more important is that it feels comfortable.
With these words, I felt the tension in my shoulders suddenly melt away.
I realized I didn't need to do it perfectly, and I didn't need to try so hard.
The theme of that day's lesson was "opening the chest."
Kimata-san, you mentioned that you face your PC every day and are concerned about rounded shoulders and stiff shoulders, so I would like to be mindful of that in the lesson.
Hunching over isn't 100% bad.
It's a posture that protects important organs, so it can provide a sense of security.
After saying that as a preface, she added,
"Today, I hope to make this a class where we open our chests a little and feel more open-hearted."
It started with movements to loosen up the shoulders, neck, and back,
moving into stretches that expand the body in sync with the breath.
It wasn't about the beauty of the poses,
but rather proceeding based on 'whether it's easy to breathe' and 'whether it feels good.'
We began seated, gradually moving into all-fours and downward dog.
Though the movements were gentle, my awareness naturally turned inward toward my body.
A lesson you can decide for yourself based on your mood
After warming up the body with relaxed movements, she asked me this:
I'm thinking of doing some balance poses next,
would you prefer a 'focused feel' or a 'dynamic movement feel'?
When I think of lessons,
I usually imagine following a predetermined flow,
but I was moved that she had thought of several structures to match my mood.
It was a style where I listened to how I felt that day and chose for myself.
I chose the 'focus course'.
Standing firmly, pressing the soles of both feet into the floor.
Fixing my gaze on one point and searching for the center of my body.
Try standing while being conscious of distributing your weight evenly across the base of your big toe, the base of your little toe, and your heel.
This is actually very difficult.
You know best which posture is most comfortable for you.
Just for this class, try taking off all your various titles,
and make choices just for yourself.
Even through the screen, I could deeply feel her supporting me.
The practice of letting go
The lesson moved to the final pose, Savasana (corpse pose).
It is a time to lie on your back, do nothing, and simply surrender to your breath.
After moving a lot, if you suddenly stop your body's movement,
your mind might start to get busy.
If thoughts come up,
try the practice of letting them go for just a little while.
In the outside world, you may have many titles.
But just for now, set them all aside,
and try to relax in your own private space.
In the quiet, Yuri's words resonated deeply.
Finally, three deep breaths.
Inhale fully, exhale slowly.
When your heart or body feels tired, please come back to this lesson.
The lesson ended quietly.
After finishing the yoga lesson
I was a little nervous about the lesson through the screen at first, but
before I knew it, I had forgotten about the computer entirely and
was focusing only on my own breathing and body.
The time I spent facing yoga for the first time in a while
felt like a way to distance myself from the daily grind where I tend to think
'I have to do this right' or 'I have to do this well.'
Even though it was online—or perhaps precisely because it was online—
I may have been able to open my heart with peace of mind in my own space.
In a place where there is no one to compare myself to and no one watching,
I faced 'who I am right now.'
Being able to spend such a luxurious time at home
was more comfortable than I had imagined.
Above all, Yuri's words
made the yoga time even richer.
To value my own sensations more than the perfection of a pose.
To treat my body as it is right now with care, without judgment.
I feel like I was able to have a dialogue with my inner self.
I hope to continue making time to feel my own breath and body
at a pace that feels natural.
Yuri, thank you so much!
<About Yuri>
<Yuri's Instagram>