Technically I came to yoga a few years ago, but really I feel like I've always been practicing it. The other day I got into a conversation online about what you would say to someone who is worried they're "not flexible enough" to begin a yoga practice. And I thought about this for a while. Why do you practice yoga? I know lately it's become a sort of trend, but honestly I began yoga for no other reason than I just knew it was a way to honor myself completely & wholly. I appreciate the physicality of it & enjoy the benefits of having a more fit & toned body, yes! But, beyond the physical component I surrendered myself to yoga because I knew it was my way of opening up unabashedly to the divine. And some deeper & wiser part of myself knew that this path was the right one for me.
There is something compelling about these photos of people doing yoga poses & yet yoga is not about how flexible you can get. When I'm on the mat I understand how futile it is to compare myself to others in the room. You know why? Because when I start to focus more on others I lose my center & lose my balance. I've understood that when I arrive on the mat I have to let go of what others are doing in the room & not compare. Because in the most difficult of poses looking at your neighbor will not help you go deeper. Really, what helps you when you are in a challenging pose is complete surrender & in that sweet moment is when you go deeper into the pose because you are doing it for yourself & doing it in union with the divine. And when you are in union you are more flexible than you ever could have imagined. Flexibility doesn't come by force or by pushing your body into something, but rather by an open-ness & surrender.
And really, if that's all I gain from yoga - it's more than enough & I am grateful.
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