One practice, different experiences

Different times of day. Different discoveries. One shared practice.

On Sunday morning, I taught a Hatha Yoga class to students joining from different parts of the world. Here in the UK, it was 10 o'clock; in Italy, the morning was already moving towards midday; in China, it was late afternoon, and in New Zealand, the day was drawing to a close.

Four different moments in the day, yet for one hour, we shared the same practice. This made me wonder how differently we might experience the same movements, depending on what we bring to the mat.

A quieter kind of energy

Before teaching, I'd practised the sequence myself, allowing a little more time for the opening and giving the body an opportunity to arrive before gradually introducing movement. By the end, I felt both restful and energised - not an energetic feeling that demanded I do something with it, nor a relaxation that left me wanting to sleep. Just a pleasant sense of being awake, settled and ready for the day. But would someone practising at the end of their day experience the same thing?

An unexpected discovery

Towards the end of the class, we moved into a gentle sequence on our backs. Between supine twists, we brought both knees towards the chest and drew slow circles, allowing the breath to guide the movement. Inhaling as the knees moved away, exhaling as they returned. We then held the knees close before extending one leg along the mat, keeping the other knee towards the chest in preparation for the next twist. Nothing particularly complicated; just a few familiar movements, with time to notice.

During our conversation after the class, one student in China was bubbling with excitement as she had noticed something unexpected. After practising the first side, when she extended one leg, it felt much longer than the other. Then, after completing the second side and extending that leg, something changed again. Both legs felt the same length.

Of course, her legs hadn't actually changed length. But something about how she experienced them had changed, and she was delighted by the discovery. What I particularly enjoyed was that I hadn't asked anyone to look for this difference. She had noticed it herself.

The same practice, a different experience

Meanwhile, our student in New Zealand was ready for sleep — the same movements, the same breathing invitations, the same hour together. One student finished feeling ready to rest. Another was full of excitement about what she'd discovered. Neither experience was more successful than the other, and neither was something I had set out to create.

As a teacher, I can offer movements, suggest ways of breathing and create opportunities to explore. I can allow space between instructions and encourage students to pay attention to what they feel. But I cannot decide what they will experience, nor would I want to.

The practice belongs to you

I've written before about the idea that the practice belongs to you. That morning reminded me what that really means. We don't all arrive at yoga needing the same thing. Our bodies, our energy, our experiences and even the time of day are different. And what we need may not be what we expected.

Sometimes a practice leaves us peaceful, sometimes refreshed, sometimes curious, and occasionally, a small, familiar movement reveals something we've never noticed before. There doesn't have to be a particular outcome. Perhaps that's one of the most valuable things about practising together: we can share the same space without needing to share the same experience.

The teacher offers the practice. What you discover within it belongs to you.

Flow into Stillness.

A little space to reflect

The next time you practise, perhaps notice how you feel before you begin, and how you feel afterwards. Not whether you've improved, achieved or accomplished something. Simply whether anything feels different. And if nothing particularly stands out, that's fine too. There's no discovery you have to make.

Find your own space to practise

There's no single way to begin, and no particular experience you need to find. Whether you're discovering yoga for the first time, making a little room in a busy day, or looking for a practice to return to, there's a place to start.

·         First Flow — A gentle introduction to JingXi Yoga.

·         Breathing Space — Thirty minutes to pause, move and reconnect.

·         Excursions — A single practice to explore whenever it suits you.

·         Journeys — Eight classes offering space to explore and develop your practice over time.

Come as you are. See what you notice.