How much should I push myself.

loveisdivine

Hi,

My husband and I have been doing Yoga at home for about 2 months. We have 2 Tara Lee dvd's and we use the Yoga Journal website too.

My question is, how far should I push myself when doing certain poses. Is it ok to have slightly bended knees, or for my shoulders to not be quite as straight as they should be etc. Can I just keep trying the pose and "push" a little harder each time until I get it perfect?

Obviously perfect form is something that comes with time and lots of practice. But surely I have to push myself a little and try poses that I can't quite get perfect in order to move forward.

bonzo_k

loveisdivine wrote: »

Hi,

My question is, how far should I push myself when doing certain poses. Is it ok to have slightly bended knees, or for my shoulders to not be quite as straight as they should be etc. Can I just keep trying the pose and "push" a little harder each time until I get it perfect?

I would not advice pushing yourself as it will lead to injury. Having a competitive or achievement based attitude in your yoga practice will not let you access its true potential. You may as well just do calisthenic exercise.

Your breathing should be a good barometer for the amount of effort you are using. If your breathing is fast and shallow and you are no longer breathing mindfully you need step back and reestablish the correct breathing. The breathing is the most important thing when practicing yoga, especially at the beginning.

It is important to have a competent teacher that can assess your form and recommend adjustments on how to get 'deeper' into a posture. They may also offer alternative postures that are more appropriate for your body type, strength and flexibility.

On a side note, you will never achieve a perfect asana, however that realization is part of the power of yoga. I started practicing 14 years ago and thought that postures would someday be easier and I would do them perfectly. This is not the case however. They are still difficult and imperfect, some more than others, yet I still savour the experience of how my body and mind react to each and every one of them.

I hope this helps.

Namaste

loveisdivine

Thanks for the advice. I don't push myself to the point of it being really uncomfortable or anything.

We can't really afford lessons at the minute but its definitely somthing we want to do at some point.

I don't feel like I'm in competition with anyone or myself but I do enjoy the challenge of the different poses and I find pleasure in trying new poses.

I probably didn't phrase my first post very well. Its not pushing myself as such, but stretching deeper.

bonzo_k

Fair enough, sounds like you are being careful. Just find your edge when you are practicing. You shouldn't be going flat out but at the same time you need to challenge yourself.

Anyway, best of luck. There is a good list of teachers and classes here

http://www.burrenyoga.com/yoga-ireland/local-yoga-classes/

Doge

loveisdivine wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I don't push myself to the point of it being really uncomfortable or anything.

We can't really afford lessons at the minute but its definitely somthing we want to do at some point.

I don't feel like I'm in competition with anyone or myself but I do enjoy the challenge of the different poses and I find pleasure in trying new poses.

I probably didn't phrase my first post very well. Its not pushing myself as such, but stretching deeper.

There's a meetups group on meetups.com in Cork that do free yoga classes.

There may be more around the country also.

And tbh, paying for classes is worth every penny imo.

Definitely worth cutting back on other expenses to pay for it, especially things like alcohol, cigarrettes, chocolate, sweets etc....

I'm not saying you buy any of the above but you're body and mind will feel so much better after it.