Freeform is a way of practicing that I have enjoyed for a number of years. I am now sharing this experience with a few of my intermediate students who come on Monday nights. One Thursday a month these yoginis join me for an hour of practice. This methodless method of home practice has apparently been around for eons, but I first learned about it from a master of yoga, Erich Schiffmann. There is no "external teaching" involved. Everyone does their own practice.
Freeform allows us to practice from our own inner teacher... Choosing poses that we are drawn to in the present moment. This involves listening to the body and the breath and seeing where it takes us. It is learning to trust our own wisdom and daring to veer in and out of any prescribed ways of sequencing or aligning in the pose. It is going beyond what we have learned into an exploratory experience. "What happens when I do this? How does it feel? Where do I feel spaciousness... where do I feel compression? Can I breathe more into this place? Can I just pause and linger here? Yes."
It is hard to describe this experience.... At first it may be daunting or scary to have this much freedom when you are used to a teacher telling you what to do next. However, it won't be long before you find joy in knowing that you really can practice like this and you have owned your practice in a whole new way.
Let me know if you are interested in joining us one of these Thursdays.
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