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Why We Practice the Same Poses Over and Over… and Over

If you’ve been to a few classes at our studio, you’ve probably figured out that Modo Yoga is more than just our name – it’s a set sequence of yoga poses, taught mostly the same way each time, depending on the teacher and the class. People often ask us why we always practice the same sequence of poses, and why we don’t switch it up more often. Here are just a few great reasons that we believe that consistency is key:

So you can still do yoga when you’re 80. Our sequence of poses was developed with the input and wisdom of many senior yoga teachers, with the intention of creating a balanced, therapeutic sequence of poses that stretches and strengthens all the muscles in the body in a non-aggressive, non-impactful way. Sure, some of those fancy yoga poses are fun to work on, and it’s great to challenge yourself in new ways, but they may not be sustainable for your body in the long run, and we want you to still be rockin’ your practice well into your golden years!

Because the Modo series works! Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned yogi, the Modo series will kick your butt and leave you feeling clear. If you find you’re not being challenged enough, ask your teacher for some extra tips on things to focus on to make the pose tougher, and if you still find that you’re not being challenged, then it likely has nothing to do with the pose. Are you really present, focusing on your breath? Or is your mind wandering? Generally, the more attention you give to your practice, the more you will get out of it.

Because it’s boring. Yup, we said it, practicing the same series over and over again can be boring, and that’s precisely why we do it! Boredom is just another thing that comes up in practice, and how we deal with it depends entirely on how we frame it. If you look at boredom negatively, as a permanent state that should be avoided, then boredom can be killer, to a yoga practice, a relationship, a career… But yoga asks us to dig deeper, and to view everything that comes up – be it good or bad – with equanimity, without judgement. So if you get bored, well, that’s it, you’re bored. It’s not good, it’s not bad, it just is. You can choose to take the path of least resistance (aka, the easy route) and avoid boredom by moving on to the next thing (until you get bored with that, then you’ll move on again, and then again, ad infinitum), or you can choose to be okay with boredom, to commit to working through it, and to seeing it as a reason to start paying more attention. Because even on your five-thousandth Warrior II pose, there is something to learn, but you have to get there first, and then you have to pay attention once you’re there. It’s not easy, but the good stuff rarely is.

Because Modo meets you where you are. Feeling a little tired? Or maybe you’re fired up and energetic… No matter where you are physically and emotionally, the Modo series caters to that. You can approach the same poses in the same sequence in a way that’s gentle, or you can approach it with more intensity, or any variation in between. You can always walk into class knowing that you’re going to get exactly what you need from your practice, and we think that’s pretty special.