"I can't do
yoga--I'm not flexible enough," is often the mantra of the yoga newbie.
The assumption is that one must possess the innate flexibility of Gumby to even
set foot in a yoga studio. The truth, for me, is a little
different. Left to its own devices, my body's natural state of being is
more akin to the Tin Man than Gumby. I grew up horseback riding, bike
riding and skiing. In high school, I was on the track team. I was
athletic for sure, but flexible I was not.
In my mid
twenties, I was diagnosed with debilitating sciatica. Let alone not being
able to touch my toes, I couldn't even touch my knees. I was told by my
doctor to try yoga and to go easy on the exercise (I was the step aerobics
queen).
"How hard
can it be?" I wondered when I stumbled upon my first Vinyasa class. I
left the class sweaty, shaking and exhausted, but I felt so spacious.
But, here's the thing: it wasn't so much about feeling stretched out physically
(although, believe me, I used muscles I didn't even know I had)--it was about
having more freedom mentally. Discovering the pause
between the thoughts, the moments of stillness with the breath and the sublime
state of letting go in savasana--those were the things that kept me going back
for more.
As Patanjali
wrote in The Yoga Sutras, the yogic path is
essentially an inward one. It's about being kind to yourself when
others in class are effortlessly in hanumanasana (spilts), and you are propped
up on blocks. Letting go of the idea that you "should" be anywhere other
than where you are right now, both on and off the
mat. Cultivating a sense of reverence for the present moment.
Creating mental space by linking movement to the breath. Feeling
the connection of body, mind and spirit. These are some of the many paths
into the yoga practice, all of which ultimately lead within and to a more
intimate relationship with oneself.
Image by rachel a. k. via Flickr
Through a
dedicated yoga practice, one's physical flexibility most certainly changes
over time. I am living proof of that. However, the yoga practice
has taught me that being flexible is often more a state of mind than
a physical state of being.
So the
next time you or someone you know, professes to be too
inflexible to try yoga, take the first step and encourage them to, as
well: show up, take a seat on your mat, and check your judgment at the
door. You'll be glad you did.
