Have you been practicing power yoga for a while now? Do you sometimes notice that you go in to autopilot in your practice? If you do, you are not alone! When we go on autopilot, we tend to not be mindful. We may anticipate what the instructor is going to say and start to get in a pose, when in fact the instructor is telling us to stay and breathe for 5 counts. Therefore, it is important to practice being present.
When we are on autopilot, we don’t think about the pose we are in. We are not present. We are thinking about what we are going to have for dinner, checking off another item off our to do list or calling back the person who left us a voicemail yesterday. When we don’t think about the present and being in the pose, we tend to make the same mistakes over and over. For instance, when you are in warrior 2, one thing you may do is not soften your shoulders. You may have a tendency to raise your shoulders close to your ears while in this pose. If you are on autopilot, you will keep doing this instead of correcting it by softening your shoulders. This may turn into a bad habit. Your form suffers, and you are not getting the benefits of this powerful pose.
You may not even know you are on autopilot. I know this happens to me, and I know it also happens to the yogis that come to our power yoga studio in Conshohocken. Have you instinctively gotten into a pose before the instructor tells you what to do so? I know I am guilty of this sometimes. If you find yourself doing this in class, you need to notice it first. And then the best thing to do is bring your attention back to your breath. You don’t want to anticipate what the instructor is saying; rather, you want to be present and just listen. Try not to let your mind wander. Be present. Like everything else, it gets better with practice. Yoga is about coordinating your breath with your movements. Without being present, we are just going through the motions without getting the full benefits. The more we practice it on our mats, the more we can be present in real life too!
Next time you find yourself on autopilot, bring yourself back to the breath. Listen and focus on every movement in your body so you can get all the benefits while on your mat. Namaste!
About Sol Yoga Studio in Conshohocken, PA
Sol Yoga Studio opened its doors in 2011. Whether you are a beginner or someone who has been practicing yoga for a long time, we are here for you with open arms. We offer a variety of yoga classes for adults and kids. First class is FREE. Our Conshohocken yoga studio is just minutes from Plymouth Meeting and Blue Bell. To sign up for class, check out our yoga class schedule at Sol Yoga Studio.
