Should I Always go "Deeper" in my yoga practice?

Q: I hear yoga teachers, both on videos and in classes, encouraging students to "go deeper".  What exactly does this mean and should I always be reaching to do this?  If not, how do I determine when I should?

A: First check in with yourself on 'why' you would be going deeper.  Is it because the video or instructor is telling you to, or are you concerned what other people are thinking about how you are appearing in your posture as it is?  Breath is the key--let your breath be your guide in any yoga posture. Would it feel good on your body to go deeper?  Would it make it easier for your breath to move more freely if you moved deeper and opened up more or would going deeper obstruct your breath?    Allow yourself to move as deeply into a pose as you can breath your breath fully into the posture.  Once the breath is constricted you have gone too far.  Slowly back out of the posture a bit and deepen your breath.  Feel the way your body is responding to the breath.  This does not mean you cannot and should not challenge yourself safely in your yoga practice.  It is fun to grow and learn new postures and allows you a feeling of accomplishment and mastery and belief in yourself.  Make sure it is a healthy curiosity that is driving you to move "deeper" into your poses and then explore them from that place. "Going deeper" is sometimes called "riding your edge' or "exploring your edge", with your edge being that place you explore that is a balance between challenge and self-care. So when you are moving into a posture do it slowly, using the breath to initiate your movements.  When you hit your first edge, the place you feel the first sensation, stop there and breathe deeply into that place, exploring how it feels and washing that area with deep slow breathing. Only once you feel the edge of that place subside should you attempt to go deeper if you like to explore your next 'edge'.  When you do, do so slowly and just a bit and monitor the breath.  In the East, yoga was initially all about the breath--the asanas or postures were added later simply as a way to open the body in different positions to allow breath and energy to move more freely to allow practitioners to experience deeper states of connection with well-being and spirit.