Relationship to practice – an ongoing inquiry

Very interesting and great this is being talked about.
Love your body, take care of it.
This is why I believe in a ‘mind with matter’ approach over a ‘mind over matter’ approach.
‘Mind over matter’ practices, which tend to be goal orientated and about pushing through what you feel, encourage a disengagement with the body which I do not believe to be so healthy in terms of embodying presence, yoga.
‘Mind with matter’ practices, which are focussed on allowing the awareness to inhabit whatever is present in the body, encourage a fluent and dynamic relationship with life in which we learn to respond consciously and kindly instead of cut off from what we feel and push push push through.
To me, this is more aligned with the notion of Self Inquiry, which holds no specific form or sequence (especially not one that glorifies injury as righteousness). Rather, it is an ever adapting relationship with and inquiry into life and all it entails.
When we can bring this into the way we move, we are not only kinder to ourselves and release false expectations and ideals, we learn to invite open consciousness into our bodies so that every cell of our being is alive and glowing with embodied presence. From this space we can consciously respond to whatever medicine life offers, moment to moment, without being bound to a particular framework that may not serve every situation.
How is your relationship with your practice ( i.e., with life – is the way you are practicing perpetuating a particular relationship with life that keeps you in patterns that don’t serve you or your body?) ?
How can you soften your edges in order to allow presence to enter your body? How can you come to love and respect yourself fully, and so to, love this experience of life? <3

WAWADIA update #6 /// “I Was Addicted to Practice”: A Senior Teacher Changes Her Path

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