I've been practicing for a couple of years now and am at the point where I would rather practice alone than in class. I usually do a couple of long (2 hr) sessions and a few shorter (40 min) ones a week..I hold poses for I'd guess 7+ minutes - until I've wiggled around all of the juicy variations I can find usually.
I'm suddenly really struggling. I find myself coming out of poses and walking away from my mat because there are crazy thoughts there that I can't breathe through. There appears to be some shit that I cannot let go of! Caterpiller, once a favourite pose to hold no feelings towards, set me off today, but it has been an upper supported back bend before.
Last year a teacher said to me that there is a lot of hanging around in childs pose to do. I gave up waiting in the end...This was once a really hated position - I'm not good with the vulnerability it places me in. I'd take it in class, reluctantly, about 80% of the time...but alone...nope - not unless I forced myself...I do find myself choosing to hang around a lot there now...I'm guessing that these things may be related.
But how do I work through it? Timers, mantras and attention - or actually, giving it some space for a bit? I've not caught a yang class for sometime (studio is oversubscribed!)