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The other day on instagram, someone posted a comment saying, "I wish I could create sequences like this." The person was referring to my personal yoga practice, which is more like a flowy vinyasa dance.
I don't use a mat (I hate feeling confined to a set space), and I don't plan out what I'll do before. I don't think anything, I don't write down what I did afterwards, and I don't focus on anything but moving and breathing.
This isn't the first time someone has made a comment like that. People have asked how they can go about doing creating similar. Others have asked if I will post a tutorial on it (I won't, because it's my personal practice and I don't want something I so joyfully do start to feel like something I need to remember and break down and ultimately turn into "work" for me).
I started thinking how I could respond. Because this type of yoga style is like a dance to me, and you can't teach someone to dance, you know? Well, I suppose you can, if you're teaching, you know, the waltz or something - but that's like teaching the Ashtanga primary series. This yoga dance is like a night out with my girlfriends where we tear up the dance floor (so fun!) - you just have to let go and move! You can't really teach someone to dance like that, right? So how could I offer a little guidance?
And then it came to me: Take the pressure off.
If you're a people watcher, particularly when you're out for a night on the town, and you're watching the dance floor, you can tell who doesn't care and who is feeling plagued by insecurities. The people who don't care are in the moment - they've got their groove on, they're gettin' down and doin' their thang!
If there's something you want to do - whether it's a specific yoga flow, or a muscle up (current goal of mine), or a business venture, go at it full speed ahead fueled by love and passion and joy. But take the pressure off. You can do this by:
1) Do it for the journey.This will probably sound lame and cliche, but the likelihood of being able to recreate a yoga flow you're inspired by, or a muscle up on your first go is slim to none, so pursue your goal for the journey - the things you discover about yourself along the way. That's what matters most, in my opinion.
2) Trust yourself. When we're being mindful, our bodies know more than we do. What I mean by this, is that you need to trust yourself. It's like dancing. You don't think about how you'll move, you just move. Same thing here. Let go of any distractions or fear and just trust that your body knows how to move, and that, at your core, you intuitively know what to do.
3) Take the pressure off. There is no to one impress, lots to be learned, and everything to be gained by giving what you want a shot. There's also so much in life to be stressed out about, and this totally shouldn't be one of them. So take the pressure off, and take the first step in whatever it is you've been dreaming of doing.
I'd love to know: What's your secret to creative yoga sequences?
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