Fit to Print Volume 23 Issue 2: June 2014 | Page 19

Mind Body Spirit

by Karen Britton

Modify, Take Rest...
Make It a Safe & Healthy Practice
afterwards and prevent injuries.
Creating a mindful practice allows one
to do yoga into their elder years. This
leads to prolonged good health and a
much better quality of life as we age.
Whether you have been practicing
yoga for one day or 10 years, you may
find yourself in a place where
modifying is necessary. Yet you can
still have a strong practice….
mindfully.
One of the challenges of modifying is
choosing to do the modification. Why
are you doing this particular
modification?
Ideally, in yoga, modifying means to

T

his is the attitude when
approaching a yoga class. A
wonderful quote from one of the
great teachers of modern yoga,
Krishnamacharya: “We may all go to the
same doctor, but we all get a different
prescription.”
We are different in so many ways, in our
body types, physically, emotionally, etc.
Therefore, we need to modify when
coming to a yoga class. Don't feel like
you have to look like a certain person or
picture of a yoga posture you may have
seen somewhere. We need to practice
yoga according to what is good for our
individual bodies.
Approaching a yoga class should not be
fearful or hurtful. Remember, one does
not have to be flexible to start yoga.
Yoga will make you flexible. Some people
think they need to be thin to do yoga.
Not true. You can loose weight and tone
from a yoga practice. There is also a very
special learning from yoga. It can change
the way you think about yourself and
help change habits which can lead to
more mindful eating.
We learn mindfulness on the yoga mat
with our postures and this leads to
mindful habits off the mat. As you build
physical strength and confidence, you
also build inner strength, and this leads
to a better quality of confidence.
Practicing mindfully with modifications
is very important to get the most out of
your practice, making it safer and more
efficient. You will feel so much better

Listen to your body and do
what is appropriate for
your body. It's ok to rest
and come back when you
feel better.
take it down a notch or two so that a
student can get in and out of the
posture safely. An example of a
modification is bending your knees in a
standing or seated forward bend if you
have a bad back or tight hamstrings.
Also, coming down half way is another
modification. A twisting posture we do
while standing may require some to
come down on one knee, making it
much easier to get the function of the
posture. If you have a bad knee, you
may use a blanket for more support. If
you cannot come down on one knee at
all, then the instructor can give you
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