I can lose myself in Nature in the same way that I can lose myself in yoga.
Today I chose to practise outside. In that hour or so on my mat I saw a dragonfly, a dance in the sky between a buzzard and two crows, a paraglider, sheep and cows, a few comical jackdaws pecking leaves off the neighbours’ cherry tree…you get the picture. Then I wondered how much I was being distracted by my surroundings.
At the start of my classes, I always invite my students to ground, centre and orientate themselves using the body’s sensory system. It always feels key to do that before using the breath to descend into the body. I found today that my attention continuously moved between a felt sense of my internal workings and those of the environment I was practising in. And do you know what, that’s okay. It felt right to me.
I’ve attended classes outside where it has been so cold that it has been hard to concentrate on the teacher’s instructions or so windy that I’ve been battling to keep my mat fastened to the ground. It can be the same inside; a pet may wander in, or a partner, a particular smell may permeate your consciousness or there might be a knock on the door. But these distractions feel different somehow; less natural, more disturbing, maybe calling for some reaction. Observing Nature is a lesson in itself in that whatever you are witnessing passes quite quickly requiring no action on your part. You are just the witness in the same way as you are the witness of your body in space and of the fluctuations of your mind.
So I guess what is key to answering the question about the best place for your practice is actually by asking another question…what feels right for you? And if you start off inside and get distracted, head on outside and vice versa. Key to all yoga practice is being present enough to know how you feel.
Do get in touch if you’d like to know more about the difference yoga can make to your life. Check out my website at http://www.cateharveyyoga.co.uk
Namaste.