Patience in Your Yoga Practice [Guest Post]

Today’s guest writer is a real Renaissance woman when it comes to workouts. Susan Fishback, who writes the blog Simply Modern Dance, has been featured before on Fine Fit Day, as a Fit Mama Friday. A dancer, yogini, runner, group fitness instructor – Susan is open to trying all different types of exercise. In today’s post, she explores how having patience and being open helped her develop her yoga practice. I love what she’s shared today, because it definitely rings true for me and, I suspect, for a lot of people. I went into yoga thinking it needed to be a workout, to be sweaty and hard, that I would naturally progress and get stronger and more accomplished, just because I was an athletic person. Also, it irritated me beyond belief that I couldn’t immediately do crow pose! If you’ve ever practiced yoga regularly, you know how ridiculous that is – it’s so much more than just the physical practice. Thanks so much for sharing today, Susan!

---

I think one of the hardest parts of yoga is finding patience within my practice. This doesn’t mean I don’t try to push myself, instead I allow my body to follow the instructor or what feels good and natural to me when I’m teaching.

Early in my yoga journey, I was constantly questioning what is the purpose of the pose, what comes next, is it going to get more difficult? Sometimes, I would even think about head stands and arm balances. Will this pose get me to those more advanced poses?

It took me a while to simply go with the flow. When I did, I got stronger and my flexibility increased. I was able to go deeper and try different variations that were being offered.

Like everyone, I only have so much free time available for class and wanted it to “count”. I was able to find classes that fit with my goals. Finding the right teacher and setting is important and can take time.

I often think when people say they can’t stop their mind in yoga or just don’t get it, they haven’t found the right class for them. For someone very strong, they might want to start with more of a power class because focus will be so important. Trying to balance a certain way will stop the mind from thinking about anything else. This is equally true for someone just getting back to exercise, a gentle class can be great  Balancing in tree or warrior will take all the mind and body have to offer.

Teachers vary greatly. Some read a lot or tell personal stories, some give a lot of physical cues and some just take the class through the sequence. These are pretty personal choices. As the practice grows, people can change things up and try new styles.

I never really practiced at home. It didn’t feel authentic to me. My ego was very much involved. This has also changed.  I play with different sequences and have found it really does quiet my mind. I have to completely focus on the pose or I will fall down.

Ironically, Instagram and ego led to me trying different poses at home. I see different poses on Instagram and think, I want to do that. Sometimes it’s realistic and sometimes it’s not. It has allowed for me to set aside a little time and play with it. I love taking a break during my day and seeing how it goes.

There is something amazing about being in a room full of people who are in the moment. When everyone follows the cue and moves collectively it is beautiful.

I am a firm believer that there’s a form of yoga for everyone, it can just take some time and patience to find it.

---

Susan genuinely thinks exercising is fun! She finds enjoyment spending time with her husband and their two sons, teaching group fitness classes, running, practicing yoga and dancing. Over the years, more friends and family members have joined the adventure. When she isn’t exercising with friends and family, she’s cooking with her sons. They have taught her more about taking chances with recipes and ingredients than she ever imagined. Susan writes about all of these shenanigans on her blog, Simply Modern Dance.

You can connect with Susan through her blog, Simply Modern Dance, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.