Any practice is a good practice… almost.
There is only one wrong way to practice yoga, and that is to beat yourself up about it. To be cruel to yourself, to allow those broken records of self-criticism play inside your mind over and over. To wallow in self-pity.
“My hamstrings are too tight!”
“Geez, I have gotten so pudgy that I can barely do this forward bend anymore.”
“My right shoulder is never going to open up like my left.”
“I can’t believe how much I suck.”
Listen to the self-talk that goes on in your mind as you are in each pose and in meditation. Most of us can be pretty harsh — way nastier to ourselves than we’d ever dream of being to anyone else. Yoga time is counterproductive if it’s spent berating ourselves for a less-than-perfect physical or emotional condition.
The key is to notice these thoughts without judging, and always, always, always cultivate compassion for yourself. As soon as you notice the distracting train of negative thought, you are catapulted back into the present. Breathe. Let go of the criticism and instead focus on what you can do, how good the stretch feels, how grateful you are to have made the time for your yoga practice.
Treat your mind like a bumbling puppy. Every time it wanders off the path, gently, kindly pick it up and bring it back to the path. This will happen countless times, especially at first. Slowly but surely, with devotion and discipline, the puppy-mind will obey.
No matter what “level” of experience you have, as long as you stay mindful of your body and breath and ego and thought processes, you will achieve true yoga freedom!
Truly very informative. True yoga is achoring the mind with GOD.
Narayanan