Hi,
Welcome to All Things Yoga with Vicky,
A podcast about all things yoga.
So today we're going to think about what we don't need for yoga.
Now,
A couple of months ago,
I stumbled on an advert for a yoga mat,
And the mat itself wasn't what caught my attention.
It was the price of the yoga mat.
It was a Prada yoga mat,
Costing the grand total of £1600.
Now,
This got me thinking,
Does anyone actually feel that they need a designer yoga mat to practice?
I mean,
There's lots of other yoga paraphernalia that's available,
But in reality,
Do we need it,
Or do we not?
Now I'm going to start by talking about mats and props,
And while it's nice to have a grippy mat that stops your hands slipping if you're in downward dog,
It isn't essential to our practice.
While on my yoga teacher training,
Fellow student Susie chose to use a towel as a mat.
Now,
She was the only person in my group to do this,
And she said that this meant that her yoga practice wasn't limited to wherever she could take her mat.
Now this was a bit of a revelation to me.
She was so right.
Now,
While we may not choose to practice on the floor,
If we put down something as simple as a towel,
It works perfectly.
If we need a little bit of extra grip,
Then we can damp it as needed.
Now,
I've practiced in so many different places,
Airport departure lounges,
At the top of the hill at Glastonbury tour,
And in the park,
And I haven't needed a mat for any of those practices.
If we get attached to our sense of needing things for our practice,
Then it limits our practice.
If we think about the Sanskrit term aparigraha,
Which translates as non-attachment,
It's one of the last yamas,
The observances in Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga.
If we are attached to our mat,
And then we start to practice non-attachment to our mat,
It frees us to practice yoga anywhere and anytime.
Now let's think about props.
Blocks,
Straps,
Bolsters,
And the like can be really useful in our practice,
But we can use items we already own.
Now I'm sure that a lot of people in the last couple of years,
When practicing at home,
Have used books or dressing gown belts,
Scarves,
Even work ties,
Act well for props.
Bolsters can be really easily replaced with a couple of pillows,
And I've found that actually I prefer using pillows to bolsters for restorative poses because they're just that little bit softer.
Now let's think about our clothing for yoga next.
So with all the movement in yoga practice,
We need to be wearing something that comfortably accommodates all the shapes that we make with our bodies.
And there are lots of beautifully patterned leggings and tops with yoga slogans.
There's even yoga underwear.
Now these are designed for movement,
And while they may look pretty and be comfortable,
They don't particularly have an effect on our practice.
When I first started teaching,
I was convinced that I needed to invest in some lovely leggings and all the other yoga gear.
But I have come to the conclusion that practicing in whatever I find comfortable is actually what really matters.
And if you come to my classes,
You may notice that I often teach in band t-shirts from bands I liked when I was about 13,
And I still have the t-shirts,
Sometimes even pyjama bottoms.
They allow me to have the freedom to move,
And they don't cost a fortune.
And added to this,
The fact that I'm not buying new yoga clothes season after season means that I'm being more environmentally conscious too.
Another thing that can stop us practicing is thinking that we need a special space for our yoga practice.
Now a few people may be lucky enough to have a spare room that they can dedicate to their practice,
But in reality,
Most of us live with other people or the place that their yoga practice occurs is a shared space with other household members.
Now in the last year of lockdowns,
There's been so much challenge into finding a space to make our yoga work.
However,
It's really key to remember that we don't need anywhere special.
If we welcome the challenges that shared or difficult spaces bring,
It can help us to increase our focus on our practice,
Allowing ourselves to retain a sense of equanimity as maybe the dog barks and nicks our face,
Or cats walk over us,
Or we try to avoid knocking over the lamp or bumping into coffee tables.
Okay,
I admit this is sometimes very challenging,
But the fact that our practice endured shows that we really don't need that special space.
Now if you think about yoga historically,
It wasn't practiced on mats in studios while wearing patterned leggings.
And while some may love their mats and their leggings and prefer to practice in a studio,
Which is all perfectly valid,
It may be good to remember that none of this is necessary.
If we were to wake up tomorrow with nothing,
We would still have our yoga practice.
That is the magic of yoga.
Please remember to hit subscribe,
And if you'd like to contact me you can through my website,
EQYoga.
Co.
Uk.
Thank you so much for listening.
