(click title for image) “What is the heart? A flower opening” Rumi❤️ At first I only practiced Hatha. I loved the consistency and set sequence of 26 postures, it gave me the opportunity to develop strong awareness of my body on the mat, in the heat. Once I felt comfortable enough, I began branching out into Vinyasa. There was no going back. I only ever wanted to take Vinyasa, Power Yoga. I wanted to vibe to the playlists the teachers would create, breathe and move to the rhythm. The collective movement would give me goosebumps. I wanted to be introduced to something new and different in every class, to be put outside my comfort zone and practice “fun” postures. I began avoiding hatha, thinking the set sequence boring and the script repetitive. One day I heard my teacher say “the postures we avoid are the ones we need”. She was right and I knew it. So I forced myself back into my hatha practice. Well, our monkey minds are crafty and before long I noticed I’d slipped back into old patterns, this time only practicing hatha. I knew now that it was up to me to push myself into discomfort, to find somewhere new and exciting in each posture. As we evolve and move through life, our practice evolves as well. We can use our practice, and desire, as a diagnostic of our mental space. If I was going to a lot of Vinyasa, I was often trying to distract myself from something, I wanted to tune out my own internal dialogue by hanging on the teachers every word. If I needed the security of a Hatha sequence, I was probably feeling fragile, insecure or unstable. Often these desires and reasons switch roles, what finicky minds we have. Sometimes, not practicing asana (postures), IS my yoga. The beauty is that it is exactly, and only, what we make of it. I used to complain about so many studios popping up, but now I feel we are so blessed by it’s prevalence, we can pick and choose the classes we want. Ask yourself why you have the desires you do, be it yoga style or anything else, then use the information to strengthen your self love. You are the trainer, the trainee, and the spectator, all in one, so try not to get too caught up in any one role. Just breath, observe and keep on keepin on!