It’s not often that I quote Bananarama, but it’s Friday, so why not!
And when it comes to yoga, these are wise words.
“It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it.”
Yoga isn’t so much about what you do, but how you do it.
‘Progress’ isn’t defined by what our bodies can do, but by the attention and attitude we bring to our practice.
In my years of teaching, I’ve seen strong, flexible students whose practice seemed to perpetuate patterns of pushing, striving and struggling to rest. I’ve also seen students with tight bodies, some apologising for being ‘bad’ at yoga, whose practice is so full of presence and grace that it’s beautiful to witness.
Of course, I've also seen strength, flexibility and deep presence can go hand in hand. But it’s worth asking ourselves: How do we define progress in yoga?
We live in a world that often measures success through visible, quantifiable results. In yoga, this might mean touching our toes or standing on our heads. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating these achievements, but progress takes many forms.
In my book, Weaving Mindfulness and Compassion into Yoga Teaching, I explore how our understanding of progress shapes our teaching, what we praise and the messages we unconsciously convey to students.
When we place presence at the heart of our teaching, we help students recognise progress in their ability to:
Focus their attention
Return to the present when their mind wanders
Tune into strong and subtle sensations
Cultivate patience, curiosity and non-judgement
Listen to their inner wisdom
Meet themselves and others with compassion
Personally, I find these skills far more useful in everyday life than standing on my head.
What if we measured progress not by how far we can go in a pose, but by how we meet ourselves along the way?