So many folks think that they need an in-person yoga class in order to study and reap the many benefits of yoga. It is true that yoga teachers provide a much needed service of helping and guiding students safely into yoga poses. We have trained hundreds of teachers and know that a teacher’s trained eye can help you identify areas and times where and when you are not in the best alignment. A gentle adjustment can be just what is needed for you to feel the edge or relax into a pose.
But sometimes a busy life gets in the way of finding the right teacher or getting to a class that you enjoy. That is the time to pull out your laptop, smart phone or tablet and plug in our Let It Go Yoga online course. Our video courses can give you the freedom and convenience and our class and course materials are always ready when you are. In some ways the videos give you more than we could give our students in person. In an hour and a half class with a number of students there is no way we can give our students the information we have put into our courses. Aside from having the time to learn about the philosophy and history of yoga, there are some important lessons that practicing with our video course can give you. Here’s a few:
Yoga is meant to be a personal practice. When you practice on your own, you are your own teacher. You have to trust yourself and your body to know when you need to hold on and when you need to let go. This is an empowering experience and the more you tune in to your own body signals the better you become in determining your own needs.
Want to know more about Let It Go Yoga? Click here to view your free Diaphragmatic Breathing Video!
The Let It Go Yoga practice is done with your eyes closed. This small detail can affect your practice in a big way. When you close your eyes and listen to the instructions you again are trusting your own experience. When your eyes are closed you sense where your body is in space, you learn to feel the poses. You have to check in. You do not compare yourself to others or some perfect, imagined version of the pose.
You can create your own “safe space”. Just being alone, in the comfort of your home you can create a safe environment for yourself to explore your thoughts and feelings. The Let It Go Yoga postures can bring up emotions. It normal for a student to occasionally feel sadness or anger and you may have an emotional release during a practice. When you practice on your own it allows you to let go in a way that you may not feel comfortable doing in a class.
With a private personal practice you can be honest regarding what issues you’d like to resolve in your life. You inner teacher has some great advice on how to let go of things that no longer serve you. In a personal practice you learn to tune in and ask for guidance. The innate wisdom of the body can reveal ways to help your life on many levels.
Many students have told me that they wouldn’t know how to do yoga on their own. The Let It Go Yoga series will solve that problem. When you practice the Let It Go Yoga series often you will begin to remember the sequence and you will always know what to do next. Eventually you won’t need the video at all (even though it’s yours to keep) and your personal practice will evolve even more.
Practicing on your own allows you to let go of perfection, competition, comparison and judgment. To just be yourself and start wherever you are that day. Oh, and you will soon see that even though the poses are the same, everyday is different. You will come into your practice in a new and different way every time.
Let It Go Yoga is practiced lying down. Most of the time lying down sounds good to me! If I can just lie down and breathe deep, my Let It Go Yoga practice shows up, seemingly on its own. It’s like an old friend I can count on always being there for me. Yes, it’s work, it’s hard sometimes, it hurts sometimes, it can be uncomfortable and annoying. And when I take the time to check in, let go and just be I always feel better when I come back to a seated pose. Let It Go Yoga brings me feelings of joy, self- confidence and self esteem. It frees my body of pain, allowing me to be more active in my daily life. It helps me sleep better and teaches me to be more aware of my thoughts and actions. I feel empowered and feel more in control of my body, mind and emotions.
It warms my heart to receive updates from my online students, like this one from Loretta Smargon. “I have been practicing Let It Go Yoga almost every single night! It is a big part of my nightly routine and I am loving it. It complements my daily routine perfectly. I also downloaded Alan Roth’s CD and have been doing an extended Savasana. I created a perfect Zen space in my spare room. I am feeling fantastic! I just wanted you to know that you and Jim are a big part of my life as I listen to your hypnotic voices on a daily basis.”
That’s the beauty of this new online world. You can practice every day or once a week or any number of times in between. You can create a Zen space to practice or just turn off the TV and move the coffee table back for more room in the living room. I have practiced in many different settings and they all work. Whenever you have the time to give yourself an hour of personal attention and you can’t make it to a class, turn on your course, tune out the daily distractions, lie down on your mat and just let it go. If anyone asks…it’s your personal practice!
Sue Anne Parsons 500 EYT, CYT – owner of Let It Go Yoga since 1986
Want to know more about Let It Go Yoga? Click here to view your free Diaphragmatic Breathing Video!
Sounds interesting to practice at home.