Sassy Yoga - Expect the Unexpected

Hi Hutch,

Yesterday at the Monday 6pm yoga class, I did something a little different.

Before everyone walked into the yoga room, I asked them to choose a place on the floor where they had never practised before.

For many of us, this felt surprisingly uncomfortable. We are creatures of habit. We like our usual place in the room, our favourite café, our familiar routines, and even the same conversations. There is comfort in what we know.

I’ve wanted to try this little experiment for a long time.

I wanted everyone to notice what arose. Did it feel unsettling? Did it feel frustrating? Did it change the way they experienced the class? Did simply looking at the room from a different angle create a different experience?

It reminds us that yoga is never just about asana work. Every time we step onto the mat, we’re practising something so much bigger.

Buddhist philosophy teaches that life contains dukkha, a word often translated as suffering, but perhaps better understood as the reality that life is uncertain, constantly changing, and not always the way we wish it to be. None of us escapes disappointment, loss, illness, change or unexpected challenges. Tomorrow is never promised, and no amount of planning can remove life’s unpredictability.

So what does yoga offer us?

It doesn’t promise a life without storms. It teaches us how to meet them.

Every balance we lose and regain, every difficult posture we breathe through, every moment we choose not to react but simply to observe is preparing us for life beyond the studio walls.

Strength in yoga isn’t about becoming rigid. In fact, nature shows us the opposite. The tree that bends in the wind is the one that survives the storm.

Flexibility is one of the greatest strengths we can develop. Not just in our muscles, but in our thinking, our expectations, and our ability to adapt when life doesn’t unfold as planned.

Maybe that’s why changing where we sat in the room mattered.

It wasn’t really about the spot on the floor.

It was about reminding ourselves that growth often begins the moment we step away from what is familiar. If we can learn to stay calm, curious and steady in a small moment of discomfort, perhaps we’ll find it a little easier to do the same when life inevitably asks much more of us.

And to those cheeky monkeys who then moved, not only positions in the yoga room, but also angled their mats to add to the disorientation, a well aligned yoga mat provides us with a reliable reference point as we practice yoga. Clean lines and an aligned mat support our practise in the alignment of a balanced body.

In my early years of practice, I remember a Practitioner of Yoga coming over to correct me, and she said,“ how are you going to align the body if you can’t even align your mat?” !! True Story! And so the rest is history my friends.

Lastly, I want to commend everybody yesterday who remained focused, calm and intentional in their practice. I was very humbled by everybody’s commitment. Like you I am a student of Yoga and I’m always learning. Much gratitude to you all

Hari Om

Susie

All photos above are taken by yours truly.

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