
If you’ve been doing yoga for a while, chances are you are pretty comfortable with the mechanics of most of the basic poses and are aware of the tremendous yoga benefits for women and man. You know how to draw your navel into your spine to engage your core. You know how to use your breath to help you sustain a challenging pose or work toward one that seems difficult. You have learned most of what you need to know about your own body to be able to suit the poses to the places that work for you. As you go through a practice, you feel like you are pretty much secure in the major anatomical points of each of the poses.
While this doesn’t mean you feel like you have “mastered” yoga, it’s a major milestone for most yoga students. It might come after months, or even years, of practice, but you’re probably aware of each step along the way, as poses become more accessible and your knowledge deepens.
That’s an exhilarating feeling, no question. But, it can also trigger a sense of frustration, especially for driven yogis. The more you become adept, the more challenging it can seem to search for the next step in your yoga journey.
Look at this as an opportunity to delve into the next level of yoga. This can mean taking a closer look at the details of your physical practice. It can mean intensifying your meditation. Maybe you want to enrich your knowledge of yogic tradition. Whatever it is, now is the time to look past the “what” and explore the “why” and “how” behind your yoga. Here are five tips to do just that.