Less is More

In teaching my Zoom class last Tuesday, I got lost ½-way through my class plan. In the jumble of words on the page, I couldn’t find where I was supposed to be, so my words fumbled. This affected my timing and the flow of the class - how long we hold the poses and how frequently we switch from one asana to another. Looking back, the best reason I can think why this happened is that there were too many things to do in my plan.

I make 2 class plans each week, one for Mixed Levels, the other for the Gentle and Yoga Basics classes. They are similar, but the Mixed Levels class is usually more challenging in that it contains more asanas and moves at a faster pace than the other two. Last week, the class plan I made for Basics and Gentle worked much better, because they were simpler and less cluttered. And truthfully, this isn’t the first time I’ve noticed the plan for Basics and Gentle working better in general.

According to author Gretchen Rubin, “outer order contributes to inner calm.” I look forward to my yoga practice as an activity that helps me feel calmer and more centered. But like a to-do list that’s a mile long, too many asanas and complicated transitions between them can stress me out and leave me feeling depleted, defeated, and exhausting.

Spring fever this year has manifested for me as a fervent desire to declutter. I’ve been inspired to learn more about minimalism and simple living. I’ve been slowly chipping away at the excess stuff in my kitchen, closet, office to try to get it down to a place it could be organized. It makes sense. If a messy desk makes it difficult for me to concentrate on my writing, a messy yoga sequence makes it hard for me to find inner peace in my practice.

One definition of simple living states that it’s about creating more through less. Less stress, fewer distractions, fewer burdens and obligations leads to more time, more space, more energy, more to love about your life.

Practice

Supta Padangusthasana 1 > Reclining Gomukhasana legs

Lying face down with abdomen over rolled blanket - forehead on fists

Child Pose w/ lateral stretch

Dog - 40 secs

Surya Namaskar w/:

Low Lunge Twist

Easy Parsvottanasana > Easy Revolved Triangle > Utthita Parsvottanasana

Seated ½ Gomukhasana legs

• Lean toward top leg side and butterfly top arm open and closed (pre-twist)

• Twist elbow to opp knee & Anjali Mudra

Full Gomukhasana - arms & legs

• FF

Supta Pada 1

• Slight cross over middling w/ external rotation > Supta Pada 2

Reclining Cobbler's Pose

Savasana

Journal

How “busy” is your yoga practice normally? Is there constant movement, constant instruction, constant music?

How did you enjoy this simplified practice above?

How busy is your daily life? Which aspect of your life would benefit the most from being more simplified?