Make Some Noise During Yoga
I just finished my morning practice and today I practiced at home using the Bryan Kest Power Yoga II DVD. What a great yoga practice. Lots of twisting, strengthening and stretching. I haven’t had a full practice since earlier in the week and I could feel the tension in my body building. As I practiced and felt the tension in my mind and muscles dissipating, I couldn’t help but “make some noise”. Lots of deep exhales and heavy sighs and a couple of “AAHHH”s.
This “noise” is part of the release and opening that yoga provides. For me it’s very natural and whether I’m practicing at home or at a studio I sigh when I need to sigh. It feels so good to let it all out and where else can you do that? Yoga is about releasing tension, and your yoga class is a safe place to do that.
When I teach I encourage students to make some noise during their practice. Ego often takes over and we retreat or get nervous, creating more tension. “What will other people think if I do that?” you might think. Who cares! If it feels good for you, allow yourself the opportunity to open up. We hold on to so much in our bodies, these sighs help push it away.
Just the other day I led a very short mid-day stretch during a professional development training I attended. We had been sitting and listening to speakers for 5 hours and this was the first stretch. As I led the basic stretch, I invited people to make some noise. I started by sighing heavily and the first response from the crowd was some laughter. Whether nervous or they truly thought it was funny, I don’t know (probably a mix). As I instructed and got into the stretches myself, I kept sighing. Eventually the crowd got into it with me and I started to hear “oh, that feels good”.
The next time you practice yoga, give yourself permission to let go. It’s your practice and when you leave the ego at the door (challenging, I know) it allows you space to do what you need to do for your body. When I teach sometimes I can feel the tension in the room and I sigh for them - it’s a helpful start. These sighs and giant exhales help create space in the body and the mind. They allow you to relax deeper into a posture or a thought in order to experience all that yoga has to offer.
So the next time you’re at home or in a studio practicing yoga, make some noise!
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