The Importance Of Listening

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Most people come to yoga expecting the challenge to be physical.

​They expect the heat, the postures, tight muscles, stiff joints or a lack of flexibility to be the hardest part. While these things can certainly be challenging, in my experience the hardest part of the practice is something much simpler:

Listening.

Not listening in the sense of hearing words. But listening with enough attention to stay connected to what you are doing as you are doing it.
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Listening may sound simple, but it is through listening that we develop concentration, and through concentration that we begin to understand ourselves.

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The hardest part.

In the hot room, we use what is known as the dialogue. The dialogue is a series of specific instructions designed to guide students safely into and out of the postures. It tells us what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and often what effect we are trying to create in the body.

At first glance, it can seem as though the dialogue exists simply to explain the postures. Over time, however, many students discover that its role is much deeper than that.
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The dialogue gives the mind something to focus on. More importantly, it gives the mind somewhere to return to.

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​Why listening is so difficult.

If you've spent any time in the hot room, you'll know how quickly the mind can wander.

The class begins and within moments the mind is off somewhere else. It starts analysing, comparing, judging and reacting. It reacts to what it sees in the mirror. It reacts to the heat. It reacts to the discomfort. It reacts to the person beside you. It reacts to the posture itself.

Before long, you've missed half the instructions because your attention has drifted elsewhere.
This is not a problem. It is simply the nature of the mind.

The mind is constantly moving, evaluating and commenting on our experience. In yoga philosophy, the mind is sometimes compared to a monkey swinging from branch to branch, unable to sit still for very long. Anyone who has tried to do a one-legged balancing posture while their thoughts race in ten different directions knows exactly what this feels like, and why falling out of the posture is not so uncommon.
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The challenge is not that the mind wanders. ​The challenge is noticing when it does.

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The role of the dialogue.

One of the greatest gifts of the dialogue is that it gives us an anchor.

When we realise our attention has drifted, we can gently bring it back to the teacher's words. Back to the breath. Back to the action we are trying to create in the body.

In that moment, something interesting happens. The mind reconnects with the body.
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The attention returns to the muscles being used, the posture being created and the experience unfolding in the present moment. Instead of being lost in thought, we are once again participating in what is happening right now.

Every time we do this, we strengthen our ability to concentrate.

Not perfectly.
Not all at once.
Just one moment at a time.

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The postures as a mirror.

As concentration improves, something else begins to happen.  We start to learn about ourselves.

We notice how we react when a posture becomes uncomfortable. We notice impatience when things don't go the way we want. We notice self-judgement when we compare ourselves to others. We notice frustration, pride, determination, confidence and fear.

The postures become a mirror.  Not simply reflecting the body, but reflecting the mind.

This is one of the reasons the practice can be so transformative. It is not only an opportunity to stretch muscles or improve physical health. It is an opportunity to observe the habits, reactions and patterns that shape our everyday lives.
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When we pay attention, we begin to see ourselves more clearly. We begin to realise it's not just the physical mirrors that provide a reflection.

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Gaining control.

Over time, many students begin to notice that they can catch the wandering mind sooner.
Instead of being completely carried away by every thought, emotion or reaction, they become aware that it is happening. A small space begins to appear between the experience and the reaction.

This awareness is where choice begins. When we become aware of our reactions, we are no longer completely controlled by them.

Rather than automatically reacting, we can choose where to place our attention. We can choose whether to go down the rabbit hole, engage with a feeling or simply return our focus to what is in front of us.

This is not something that happens overnight. It is developed through practice, repetition and patience.
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Some people find concentration easier than others.
As always, work with what you have.
Every day will be different.
Listen as best you can.
When the mind wanders, bring it back.
Then do it again.
And again.

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Taking the practice off the mat.

The ability to pay attention is not something that stays inside the yoga room.
The same skills we practise on the mat often begin to show up in the rest of our lives.
We become better listeners. We become less reactive. We find ourselves responding more thoughtfully in difficult situations. We become more aware of our habits and patterns, and less controlled by them.

Perhaps most importantly, we develop a greater sense of self-awareness and self-trust.
Confidence grows because we begin to see that we are not at the mercy of every thought that enters the mind.
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We have a choice.
And that choice begins with attention.

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The practice of returning.

Every time you notice your mind has wandered and gently bring it back to the dialogue, you are practising something far more valuable than flexibility.
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You are practising attention.
Through attention comes concentration.
Through concentration comes self-awareness.
And through self-awareness comes a deeper understanding of yourself.

A practice of returning, again and again, to what is happening right now.
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And perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts of yoga: learning not only how to listen to the teacher, but how to listen to yourself.