For some people the trend for power and hot yoga is intimidating. Will it hurt? Will I be able to keep up? For others, who’ve tried it, it can become like that friend who you at first had so much fun with but now it just feels stressful, like a chore and simply exhausting. Eventually, you part ways. Because of this, many people are returning to Slow Yoga. The concept of “Slow Yoga” is not simply about the speed with which we move ourselves. It’s a question of meaning. Are you doing yoga because you want to sweat excess fluids? Are you practicing yoga because you want to be leaner and more flexible? Are you practicing because you are in pain and want some respite? Or are you practicing yoga because you simply want to learn how to be well? Maybe it’s all of the above. Whatever meaning you’re searching for, taking time to reflect on the question is going to be necessary. Slow Yoga takes the emphasis off achieving something and puts more focus on <>the experience and the journey. Like any connection, as your yoga practice progresses through time, the initial thrill wears off and we are left with either an appreciation for the subtleness and nuance of the in-between moments or the empty feeling of it not ever being enough. We can tussle and battle against this, attempting to alter things and find new ways to add interest or we can embrace this quiet inward opportunity and see what it offers. One thing is for sure: yoga practice that seeks what has yet to be achieved will always hide the beauty of what already is. There is no way to separate what is happening in the “yoga world” from yoga practice – it consists of people who are interested in yoga practice! The drives at work and the realities of people’s lives that make up the yoga world are everything to do with yoga. Until recently, singing the song of simplification and slowing things down has always felt like pushing against the tide. Now I’m seeing a surge of new voices picking up the wave. Fast and intense may help for a time but it is not sustainable and will often need some re-evaluation. It is in the stillness of our lives that we are able to perceive its worth. Yoga practice is no different.