Whatever kind of yoga you do, inner harmony should be in the first place in your feelings. Whether it is hatha yoga or kriya yoga, mantra yoga or pranayama yoga, it doesn't matter. If there is discomfort, then it is no longer yoga.
Yoga practice should be as natural as life itself. Yoga is such a system of self-knowledge that becomes very close and dear to a person who has felt the very essence of this ancient teaching.
Nowadays, in many fitness centers and yoga studios, yoga is understood as what yoga is not at all. It can be gymnastics, acrobatics, stretching exercises. But there, and even close, we are not talking about a system of self-knowledge. And so, imagine, in ninety percent of cases.
Such an attitude towards yoga in the West has developed because the teachers themselves do not understand this system correctly. Yoga exercises are trying to drive into some kind of framework, to fit into some canons. But this is initially not correct.
It is not possible to understand from the outside whether a person is engaged in yoga or simply performs even complex poses that outwardly resemble yogic ones, but are not. Why? Because it cannot be seen, it can only be felt. Only the practitioner himself can feel inner harmony.
And statements from the category "you are doing this pose not correctly" have nothing to do with yoga. An approach where the trainer or instructor clearly specifies the individual activities can be beneficial. Benefit to the physical body, for example. But since yoga does not have as its goal the development of a separate physical body, this approach cannot be called yoga, but it is often called just that. This confuses practitioners.
Therefore, listen to your inner feelings first. There should be joy within you. Never try to perform asanas as in the picture, do not try to "please an outside observer."
