When I started doing yoga, I obsessed over getting to class every day and mastering every pose. Sure, I dropped 40 pounds within two months, but I proceeded to injure myself and put the weight back on again. I felt depleted and inferior because I was comparing myself to the fit, more flexible students around me. I went from enjoying a newfound yoga practice to taking it too seriously to be healthy. It became self-destructive.
[See: How to Know If You’re Exercising Too Much.]
Yoga should enhance your self-awareness and promote self-care. When you practice compulsively, you lose sight of why you are doing yoga in the first place. Don’t live your life to do yoga. Instead, practice yoga to live your life to the fullest both on and off the mat. Here’s how to tell whether you are taking your practice too seriously:
1. You are pessimistic.
A negative outlook on your yoga practice is a sign you’re becoming rigid. It’s easy to fall into the trap of nit-picking everything from your poses to your physical appearance. But when you are overly particular, you start to view everything from a place of scarcity, like nothing is good enough, rather than from a place of plenty, in which you’re grateful for what you do have. To maintain a healthy yoga practice, it’s important to be optimistic before being critical. The most fundamental teaching I offer is the concept of receiving yourself and life as it is, with all its imperfections, as a gift. It’s a radical affirmation when you start to view the world through that lens. If you are cynical in yoga class, stop, take a deep breath and remember to be light-hearted.
2. You are obsessed with how you look.
How you align yourself in yoga poses makes all the difference in how efficient they are at opening up and healing your body. However, if you notice that you are constantly looking at yourself in the mirror while you practice in an attempt to find the perfect pose, you may be crossing the line. Every person’s body is different; therefore, everyone looks different in his or her poses. Down dog looks completely different for a 6-foot-5-inch athlete than for a 5-foot retired school teacher. What’s great about yoga is that everyone’s experience is personal, yet it’s just as beneficial for all practitioners. Shift your focus to how the poses feel, rather than how they look.
3. You push through pain.
Agony is a sign that you’re forcing yourself into poses you’re not ready for. If you are in pain, you are no longer practicing yoga intelligently. You are just injuring yourself. There’s a difference between challenging yourself to overcome some discomfort and hurting yourself. Do not push yourself to the point that you ignore sharp pain or burning. If you’re not listening to your body’s signals to back off, you need to take a step back. You should never feel pain in your joints, especially in your knees, elbows or ankles. Back out of the pose if you feel a twinge in your lower back. You should only get sensations in the belly of your muscles and not near the attachments. Depending on your history and body type, there are some poses in which you may not feel anything. Always focus on good technique.
[See: 7 Signs You Should Stop Exercising Immediately.]
4. You put off other responsibilities to practice.
If you insist on going to a yoga class while other, more pressing obligations get put on the back-burner, you are taking your yoga practice too seriously. Sometimes, your practice is showing up for your family, friends and the other people you love when they need you. If you find yourself casually skipping weddings, funerals, birthday celebrations or family events to take a yoga class, it’s time to take a close look at where your priorities are. Remember, there are always options to practice at home or on your own. I am all for a committed practice of three to five times a week, but not at the expense of your adult responsibilities and relationships.
5. You suddenly lose weight.
Yoga is a great way to lose weight without losing your mind. If you attend classes regularly, you will start to resist sugary, fattening foods. When you do something that feels healthy for both your mind and body, it gives you a sense of accountability to continue to take care of yourself. Rapid weight loss is never healthy or sustainable. If you find yourself going to yoga and stepping on the scale more than a couple times a week, you are probably overemphasizing weight loss and not focusing enough on how you feel and actually look.
[See: How to Weigh Yourself the Right Way.]
6. You are becoming preachy.
Often yoga teachers and overly passionate students become so self-absorbed in their practices that they are unable to connect with others. It stems back to traditional yoga philosophy, which is based on an enlightenment model. In the traditional method, if you practice and live your life perfectly, you will transcend this earth. As far as I know, this concept isn’t relatable or obtainable. A more progressive take on yoga philosophy is that your life is a gift, and it is perfect with all its imperfections. You should not be concerned with transcendence, perfection or achieving an other-worldly experience. If you act like you are better than others and speak down to people or use yoga jargon to communicate, you alienate people. If you are shaming others for not practicing yoga, you are only projecting your own insecurities. Yoga should be a way to bring you closer to others, not isolate you.
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6 Signs You’re Taking Your Yoga Practice Too Seriously originally appeared on usnews.com
