Yinka Fabusuyi: What yoga taught me

When I came to yoga in 1993, I thought that it had nothing to offer and had little knowledge about the cliché. Since then I have trained as a yoga teacher, teaching since 1999, had 3 children, 2 serious illnesses and accepted online lessons. My body did it and I continued. My mind was
another thing. Of all the devils on my shoulder and the negative thoughts that were about my body in relation to yoga, the recurring ones were. Overall, I am satisfied with my body, it was what my body can do in the Asana Yoga class and what is not, that was the most followed. I mostly kept that for myself, but the past 18 months have given me more time to think, and so I speak out. Accessibility and inclusiveness in yoga have come to the city and I realize that some of my own experiences with exclusion in a yoga class as a yoga teacher have uniquely positioned me.

what yoga taught me about my body

I was very surprised when I started practicing yoga, discovering the restrictions on the soft tissues and joints in my body. In fact, I have very long limbs, merged tapes, shortened tendons and thus my wrists bend very little. In addition to the difficulty of completely stretching some of my fingers, my hips do not turn a lot outwards. My solutions were for me to avoid certain classes, to miss courses in studios, almost miss the opportunity to work with yoga tatters and worry about how my students see me. In a profession in which the image is so important, I hesitated to post pictures of me in Asanas
my social media. When I visited courses, I went into the background, on Yoga retreats I never came out as a teacher. My heart sank when the topic came up in social situations and I was asked whether I could ... (add complex posture of your choice). I envied the lightness with which some seemed to practice. Most of these demons have put
to rest, but I'm in the works. I wonder how many of you teach
this wonderful practice feels the same way, and how did it affect you?

The advantages of my unique body were diverse. I now recognize that my long limbs enable me to take certain attitudes with which others may have difficulties. For a long time I have insight into the way in which you teach you and a lack of accessibility. My apprenticeship reflected this, and of course I also benefited the
from what I can bring as a practicing osteopath. Yoga lessons are a source of great strength and support that it should also be and is supplemented by my research on this topic. I ask my students to think about what it feels like, instead of what others or themselves look like, to think about an asana. I encourage curiosity why someone is desperately trying to achieve the full expression of every posture. I ask why they fight with their bodies; I also support progress, but this does not always have to be expressed by attitude or have an external confirmation.

what yoga taught me about my personal practice

yoga taught me so much about myself, yoga let me know when I was physically bad, but also when I had to rest. Yoga made me calmer when I could be, yoga helped me to make a living. It taught me to accept what my body is and to stop, to question this, and it led me to help others accept their own. If the demon wants to whisper my ear now, I react differently: I stand where I can best see and hear instead of worried who can see me. I adapt the postures to my body and those who work best with my restrictions. I learned through injuries that this is the best way. I go to courses in which I can learn and that makes me feel good. I am talking when I see that ausmetism affects me. Zoom recordings were very instructive to improve my teaching style. I encourage my students to adapt posture and try to point out when I teach. As the big Maya Angelou said: "Do your best until you know better. Then, if you know it better, do it better."

The 3 CS: approval, communication and trust

I now make sure that this obligation to practice for me and my students, among other things, of what I call the 3 C is driven: to find consent about how we want to work with people, create good communication and trust.

In the past 18 months I have taught more yoga than ever and I am grateful to everyone who supported me. I had the opportunity to think about my work-life balance and make some changes. I now take more time for workshops and courses and hope to pass on my knowledge. But wherever you practice, stay curious, enjoy it and rest when you need it.