• Posted by Lucy

Yoga Magazine February 2022 - What Makes one Yoga Practice More Enjoyable than Another?

by: James de Albuquerque

I have wondered about this for a while. I tend to assume that my enjoyment or otherwise was down to me and my mood at the time. I also considered that it might be the teacher, the studio, the space, the other students, the selection of asanas/poses, and my ability to do them or not?

Then I went to an ‘extra’ class recently and my previous notions were torpedoed. I had volunteered along with others to participate in a Yoga class designed to promote the studio for social media purposes. The timing could not have been worse for me. England were involved in an important cricket match AND an international rugby game, and they were both taking place at the same time as the Yoga. These were two contests that I would not miss as a rule (ever). So, I and my mood would have preferred to be at home in front of the television. However, once I arrived at the studio, my mind changed, my mood altered, and I was very happy to be there. Once we had assembled, chatted and started the practice, I realised that here was an important added ingredient to a Yoga class, and it is the icing on the cake. This is what makes one Yoga practice more enjoyable than another - Good Vibrations. Everyone was contributing a little happiness. It is not difficult with an open heart. Khalid Gibran wrote "you give but little when you give your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give" and he was not wrong.

We arrive at a Yoga class with a common purpose – to attend a practice. We may not be feeling fine, but we know that we will be feeling better by the end of the class. We must remember this and be happy. This practice is over 5,000 years old and has stood the test of time. It is safe to assume that there is some good available to us. The aim of Yoga is to unify the mind, body, and spirit. Remember the spirit? Yoga is not just an exercise class. The spirit is very important in the balancing of the elements as you stretch the body and calm the mind.

Each of us is housed in a different body. Sitting, lying, or standing on a mat spread out across the floor are an assortment of human beings who bring with them their whole life. It cannot be otherwise – wherever we go, there we are. We are each the construct of days, weeks, and years of life and we bring all of our experiences, all of our happiness, and all of our anxieties and memories into a room with us. Imagine the chaos if all these stored feelings and emotions broke loose in the class. When we leave, we will either take them away with us or they will follow us out of the door. It is strange but true that most of us would prefer to keep our own rather than have somebody else’s troubles. In the time we spend together this is how we are – happy or sad – we are together in a shared experience with all our years of experiences bundled up inside our different bodies.

So how important is Karma? In a book called 'ANAM CARA' – spiritual wisdom from the Celtic world by John O’Donohue, he explores a traditional Celtic idea. There is a lovely idea in the Celtic tradition that if you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy or good within you, it will all come back to you multiplied ten thousand times. The more love you give away, the more love you will have.

Happiness is contagious. So, with the willingness of the participants, the energy and atmosphere in the studio can affect the class and make an enormous contribution to the enjoyment of practice and help towards a Happy New Yoga Year. The Dalai Lama wisely said that ‘our prime purpose in this life is to help others and that if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.’ Try and leave your troubles at the door so as not to spoil the vibe for others. Do not be competitive. The temptation to peep across at others and see how they are managing with a difficult pose will not help you. There may be some fleeting comfort in seeing them struggle as much as you, but this is not why we are there. Your effort is yours and the benefits will be for you also. The vibe in the class requires your contribution. What we send out will come back to us. This is Karma in action.

"We are all here on earth to help others. What on earth the others are here for I don’t know." ~ W.H. Auden.

James is a recently retired Shipbroker, married with three daughters and four grandchildren. He has been practicing yoga for nearly thirteen years near where he lives in North Hampshire (an area blessed with excellent teachers).