When you do yoga poses, you can learn a lot about your own mind and attitudes. Yoga poses bring forth the deep connection between mind and body. After all, yoga began as martial arts conditioning, and in few things is the connection between mind and body as important as it is for that discipline.
For instance, one of the yoga poses that students first become acquainted with is savasana, or the relaxation pose. This is typically done at the end of a class or session. In savasana, you go into a deeply meditative state, or at least that's what you are aiming for.
Now, have you had negative experiences with this? Do you leave your yoga class early so that you can avoid savasana? Do you become filled with dread at the thought of having to do that pose because you can't relax, or because you become disturbed by the thoughts that flit through your mind when you enter the meditative state?
If so, then this is a yoga pose that is revealing something about your inner workings, probably on the subconscious level. Perhaps you have unresolved grief, or anger. Perhaps you feel guilty about some action or desire that you can't forgive yourself for. Perhaps you are suffering from too much stress. You should look into these possibilities and be totally honest with yourself if this yoga pose fills you with dread.
Other yoga poses that can be very revealing to you are your balancing poses. Do you have a hard time maintaining these? If you do then this could indicate that something is out of balance for you emotionally in your life. Perhaps you are working too hard and not enjoying life enough. Perhaps you are neglecting your family or loved ones. Perhaps you need to alter your diet. Perhaps it is something else that is out of balance for you.
Do you have trouble wit the yoga poses that require you to bend forward? If you do, this might be because your back muscles are too tight. Or, it could be that you are afraid that you will fall over. If it's the former problem, this could indicate a lot of unwanted stress. If it's the fear of falling forward that is preventing you from doing these poses correctly, it could mean that you have trust issues or lack self-confidence. It could also mean that you suspect that you are being betrayed by someone close to you.
Try to push yourself to hold a yoga position for a new "longest time". When you do this, you will expand your sense of self-confidence and personal achievement. This attitude will eventually make its way into other areas of your life. Pushing the envelope of what you can do with your yoga poses will drive you forward in your life, and may enable you to heal hurt parts of your psyche.
