Doing Things Differently

ne of the themes that we've been exploring in my classes lately is the idea of doing familiar things differently. So whether that's practising the left side of a pose before the right or folding the fingers over each other in a non-habitual way when clasping the hands in prayer, I've been asking students to notice their habitual patterns and how it feels to do things differently.

The most interesting responses come we make simple shapes in ways that don't feel normal to us. (Try folding your arms. Now change which arm is on top and which threads under... ) When we can make the habitual version of a pose on autopilot, the fact that the unusual version of the pose feels strange is particularly obvious. In my own practice I've found that mixing things up this way helps me to see some of the patterns that I've got into and to break through the autopilot fog. Once the fog lifts I feel like I can actively choose  to place my feet in a certain way, or hold my hands together just so, rather than doing it that way because I always have done.

One of the unexpected consequences of working this way is that, for me anyway, there's a certain peace in choosing what feels normal, as long as I actually choose it. When I make prayer position with the non-usual index finger on top and then I change my position back to how I normally make the shape, the normal position feels comforting.

So, while doing things a little bit differently has helped me to practice with a greater sense of presence and notice where I've got into physical and mental ruts, it has also given me a new appreciation for the solace to be found in healthy habitual practices. I have a tendency to bang on about the value of practicing for the sake of having a practice but there's a reason why I do! Because having a practice that you can return to like a home base is grounding and can give great comfort in times of turbulence when we crave to feel like ourselves.

I've been trying to take some of this off the mat too, looking at how I get up and down between sitting and standing, how I hold my kids and how I respond to stress or tiredness or excitement, and choosing to do it differently, partly to see how it feels to change things and partly to shine a bit more light onto how it actually feels to do things how I usually do them. Do those normal ways really work best for me? Could there be another way I could respond that is equally valuable or even interesting just because it's not habitual? Is doing anything just one way always-and-forever really healthy?

So, now and again, step the right foot back first - partly so that you don't stop noticing what it feels like to step the left foot back.

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