I look back and laugh at how I acted when the man who became my teacher first told me Sivananda only does 12 poses in the same order every time. I thought I needed a more vigorous workout with motion and sweat. I got angry when he told me I needed to complete a full beginners training course before I could come to group classes: I already knew how to do yoga. I soon saw how foolish I had been when he began to teach me how Sivananda poses are meant to maximize the strength building and stretch in every second of holding the pose. Bodies are experts at doing activities in the least effortful way, so your body will always naturally want to do the pose in a way counterproductive to the greatest benefit of the pose. Once you've come into the pose, your body wants to go back to the easy way as it begins to tire. Then, you must continually readjust your posture to maintain the correct form even as your body wants you to stop working so hard. Every few seconds, even though you are staying still except for your breathe, you can feel the pose change. You will feel your muscles heating. If someone saw a picture of you, they would have no idea how hard you will working. But your body will know, and it will thank you for it later. After extended and regular practice, you can add modifications to the postures so that they continue to be challenging even after your body has gained strength and flexibility. However, at the beginning, it's OK to hold the pose for shorter amounts of time. It's more important to complete the asanas correctly within your body's current limits than to try to look like the picture or hold them for a long time. There is no one to impress.
