Why I Don't Practice Yoga the "Traditional Way" Anymore

For more than ten years, yoga was my life.

I practiced Ashtanga yoga six days a week. Each session lasted around an hour and a half. I worked my way through the series, chasing the next pose, believing that if I simply showed up consistently enough, my body would eventually figure it all out.

On paper, I looked "fit."

Mysore-style Ashtanga practice was a staple for my life

But my body told a very different story.

I couldn't climb a flight of stairs without feeling completely out of breath. I had almost no pulling strength - if I were hanging off the edge of a cliff, I'd probably struggle to pull myself up. My lower back was constantly tight, and some mornings it hurt just to get out of bed.

And despite practicing yoga almost every day, I often felt disconnected from my own body.

I remember folding into Paschimottanasana and feeling... nothing. No understanding of what muscles were supposed to be working. No awareness of why certain movements felt easy while others made me feel awful.

Dozing off in Paschimottanasana

Backbends never felt good.

Rolling around in Garbha Pindasana made me feel worse, not better.

At the time, I assumed that was just part of "the journey". Just suck it up and it'll get better. Keep practicing, all is coming.

It was almost frowned upon to use props for support as it was seen as taking away from me learning how to "flex my spine"

I now know that my naturally anteriorly tilted pelvis influenced how I moved. My body wasn't "wrong" - it simply had muscular imbalances that has become dysfunctional, and movement patterns that nobody had ever taught me to understand.

Instead of learning how my body worked, I was simply learning how to perform poses.

Over the years, those patterns caught up with me.

I dealt with wrist sprains. Biceps tendinitis (shoulder pain). Yoga butt (hamstring pull). Persistent low back pain.

I had spent thousands of hours on the mat, yet I wasn't becoming a stronger, more capable human being.

That realization was difficult to accept.

Because I still love yoga.

I love pranayama (breath work).

I love meditation.

I love how yoga could help quiet a busy mind, and calm down a stressed out nervous system.

But I realised that my relationship with the physical practice - the asanas - needed to evolve.

That's what eventually led me to train with Day Christensen, founder of the Day1Yoga method.

For the first time, I wasn't just told what pose to do - I learned why.

I began understanding muscle function, posture, movement mechanics, and how to build strength intentionally instead of simply collecting poses.

Ironically, when I stopped doing more yoga, my body started feeling better.

My practice became shorter.

More focused.

More purposeful.

Instead of asking, "How can I get into this pose?"

I started asking, "What does my body actually need today?"

That single shift changed everything.

Today, that philosophy shapes every class I teach at Diok Gagah Yoga.

You'll still find inversions, arm balances, and playful movement.

But you'll also find shoulder strength, hip mobility, functional fitness, and intelligent progressions that help you move better - not just on the mat, but in everyday life.

Because my goal isn't to help you become someone who can do impressive yoga poses.

My goal is to help you become someone who feels strong, capable, and at home in your own body.

Less, but better.

That's the practice I believe in now.