| If you'd like to start a personal yoga practice, and learn | | | | what to do once I get on the mat, so I'm just not going |
| to practice on your own outside of classes and | | | | to get on the mat today. Maybe I'll find inspiration or |
| without videos, but you don't know where to begin, I | | | | instructions tomorrow." Sound familiar? Well, Yee's |
| have a recommendation for you. Find the book | | | | book offers inspiration and instructions. |
| "Moving Toward Balance, 8 Weeks of Yoga with | | | | Yee helps on the confidence front by asking readers |
| Rodney Yee" by Rodney Yee with Nina Zolotow. | | | | to approach their personal practice with a playful and |
| Yee's book takes readers through an 8-week journey | | | | accepting attitude, instead of being self-critical and |
| of fully experiencing dozens of poses, learning to listen | | | | competitive. He cautions that worry about whether |
| to their inner teacher and developing a level of comfort | | | | you are practicing correctly can kill your motivation like |
| and confidence in their personal practice. It answered a | | | | nothing else. The book provides tips on overcoming |
| lot of questions for me, and the first time I read it I | | | | some of the most common excuses, how to create a |
| wished sincerely that I'd found it sooner. | | | | space that inspires you to practice, and how to |
| In the introduction of the book Yee explains that the | | | | motivate yourself to practice. The motivational |
| best way to learn yoga and fully understand it is to | | | | methods include music, bribing yourself, and even a |
| practice on your own. He speaks compellingly about | | | | humorous story of a student that watched The |
| why practice at home is so important. He observes | | | | Simpsons while practicing for the first few months. |
| that students that don't have a personal practice tend | | | | The core work of the book comes through the 8 |
| to focus on whether or not they are doing a pose | | | | Weeks of Yoga program. Each week has a different |
| right, while those that do seem to focus on the | | | | focus on a type of asana and an aspect of the |
| experience of the poses and the effects they have in | | | | non-physical side of yoga. Week 1 is focused on |
| the body and the mind. This really spoke to me, and | | | | standing poses and being present, Week 2 is focused |
| provided another incentive for becoming more | | | | on sun salutations and awakening awareness, and so |
| disciplined in my own personal practice. | | | | on. There are color photos throughout, providing great |
| The need for a personal practice is a common theme | | | | illustrations of the poses. If you follow the 8-week |
| in conversations I have with yoga friends. We have | | | | program, you will deepen your personal understanding |
| read and believed that we should practice on our own, | | | | of yoga. And at the end of the eight weeks, Yee |
| but many of us struggle to find the discipline, or maybe | | | | answers the question of "What now?" with two |
| it's the confidence, to do so. I've had mental | | | | sections on creating and sustaining a personal yoga |
| conversations with myself that go like this, "I'm not sure | | | | practice. |