A Mindful Yogi Peeper

My oh my what a big strong asana you have! Everyone does it at some point in the class when they turn their gaze to another's mat.  Your eyes widen in the awe of someone rocking an inversion or arm balance...wait a sec umm where should our focus be? In class our mat becomes our own personal world, but it is in our nature to visit other people's planet. Should I blush or feel guilty for my desire for my foot to go behind my head (the right does it...sometimes :))?  I mean we look at our teacher for direction, and I stare in awe wondering how my side crow with every take flight.  Now just to learn how and why we should be a mindful peeper.


My opinion is the world doesn't end if you take a mindful glance. It is important to look but remember to honor your body and prevent injury by knowing your limits. I admit that early on I was a stubborn and would kick, wiggle and roll in my attempt for inversions.  Luckily I was a rolling pro, but I should of been more aware and understood that I need to stop when my body began to whisper oh fudge we are gonna crash.  Traditional headstand became my most dreaded moment in yoga class. I would look around at everyone coming up with straight legs in an intermediate class and my butt was still in a dolphin plank.  So what if my shoulders were sinking and I was rounding my back...yeah stubborn remember?  I felt left behind and discouraged.  My peeping at others in class led to a feeling of jealousy at their grace and strength. Jealously doesn't belong on or off the mat so not a good sign. I needed to regroup stat!


We have our whole lives to do yoga and the posture will happen when the BODY and MIND are ready.  You can't forget about the mind and the part it plays in being stubborn too. Another thing is some yogis have an amazing mind body connection.  Their body flows in one fluid motion like a hamster spinning effortlessly on a wheel. My hamster tends to get his foot caught. It isn't the end of the world if that asana didn't happen today at that moment. Just because it doesn't happen one day doesn't mean that it is permanently out of reach.  I learned to slow it down and practice pulling my shoulders back and working my way up slowly. This meant not kicking and holding myself up with my legs tucked using my bhandas instead of failing them up and hoping for the best. One day it just happened. I wasn't harping on it and my body was plenty strong and knew what to engage and when. Add to that a beautiful breathe and that was all it took.


So my simple "peeping" glance at my fellow neighbors wasn't the end of the world. In fact it taught me to be  more mindful and understand my body more.  You should never be jealous of a fellow student. The posture will happen for you when the pieces are ready to come together. I have learned to smile when I roll, fall or side plant my face...oh crow. If someone is taking a mindful glance I want them to see yes there are others like you too.  Smile for your fellows yogis in the room so hopefully they won't get discouraged and understand we are all here together as one.  You will fly in your posture when the mind and body is ready.