It’s Time To Get Curious Up in Here!

    Happy Tuesday Yoga’licious Peeps, 

    I hope you are having a wonderful week!

    Today I want to share with you a topic related to the physical yoga practice that has transformed the way I move my body and practice Yoga on and off my mat, drum roll please… Curiosity!
    Ever since I learned about the curiosity mindset it has been one of the biggest key ingredients I use daily, that allows me to create a physical Yoga practice and relationship with my body that facilitates more confidence, more energy, and a more savory experience in the Yoga poses themselves… especially in the poses that make me want to flip the teacher off, run out of the room, and never do Yoga again (yes I am one of those students at times :))! 

    When I first started practicing Yoga I was way less curious and way more concerned about getting the practice right!

    Here is how the conversation used to go on my mat…

    “Am I doing this chattarunga this right?”

    “Her butt looks better than mine!”

    “OMG I will never be able to do that one legged put your arm behind your back thing.”

    “Am I doing this right???”

    “Oh teacher, please look at me, how do I look?!”

    “How much longer do I have to hold this F*#$ing Chair pose?!?!”

    While I am thankful for this old conversation, because it was what brought me to my mat, it also brought with it sometimes more frustration than connection, more feelings of dissatisfaction and judgment about my body than feeling better about myself, and more pushing and perfecting than actually just letting go and softening.

    When I started practicing yoga with a curious mindset instead I starting letting myself off the hook more…

    It freed me up to just be present in the poses and not take myself too seriously…

    And it has kept my Yoga practice exciting, engaging, and allowed me to achieve more of the strength and flexibility that I have always wanted to experience!

    This month I am SO excited to dive even deeper into this topic at

    Yoga’licious Girl’s Night Out
    coming up February 23rd from 6-8:15 pm.

    In the night I will be taking you through a Yoga Practice and sharing some of my favorite tools for activating a more curious mindset when it comes to your Yoga practice on the mat… and you will get to carry that mindset from the mat to the dinner table (a fresh vegetarian meal will follow the practice).

    For now I want to leave you with a few tips that you can start today! (Click Here to continue reading the rest over at the blog).

    Enjoy the rest of your week and “Let’s Get Curious, Curious”… Yes this is a reference to Cyndi Lauper’s Let’s Get Physical song :).

    Xo,

    1. Drop expectations: This step is first and I think the most important one when it comes to activating a curious mindset. When you drop expectations, rules, regulations, or the need to look like the Yoga Girl or Guy in the magazine it relieves so much of the unnecessary pressure. Dropping expectations I believe really allows you to show up in your body and just as you are for that day. It also allows for the poses to take on a life of their own in your body, with the opportunity to possibly experience a new strength or flexibility in your body.
    2. Stay connected: Staying connected to the mat underneath you, your feet on the floor, sweat on your skin, and sensations in your body… basically staying connected to reality sets the groundwork (pun intended) to step into the curious mindset. If your body is on your mat but you’re still in the car, in the conversation you just had before class, or at dinner you might miss a moment to be curious and actually step into something

      different and exciting in your physical practice.

    3. Breath: I believe the breath serves so many purposes in the Yoga Practice. In regards to the curious mindset staying connected to your breath throughout the postures allows you to connect deeply to the shapes and make adjustments that facilitate more ease and space for your body. It also interrupts the potentially negative conversation in your head and brings you back to the present moment.
    4. Make it your own: When you are going through a practice whether it be in a class, privately, or on your own my suggestion is to make the practice your own and get curious about what brings to you the most ease in the shapes, especially the challenging ones. This means after the original shape is taken play with widening your stance in standing poses, or pressing more into your hands in plank and see what works for you. I tell my clients all the time, I am here to motivate you, hold the space with you, cue alignment that I believe will offer you the most ease and connection your body, and I also want you to explore what works for you.

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