Yoga and the Inflexible

September 24, 2024

Once people find out that I’m a yoga instructor, I tend to hear a litany of thoughts that go as follows…

“I’ve thought about trying yoga, but I’m not flexible.” “I wish I could try yoga, but I can’t shut my mind off.” “I tried a yoga class years ago, but I could not do anything that anyone else in class was doing; it was too advanced for me.” I’ve even had people say, “I’ve thought about yoga, but I can’t be a vegetarian or vegan.”

When these thoughts form into words that leave a person’s mouth, I give a little laugh. Not that I’m laughing at them, but rather at how we humans have a way of taking something so simple and making it complicated. 

Yoga, was not intended for the flexible body, but rather the flexible mind. The being that shows up knowing that they’re starting something new, and chances are will not be able to twist, contort, bend, reach or stretch the way they’re conditioned to thinking they should. They will never be an expert at it, nor compare themselves to others. They may eat meat or cheese simply because they enjoy it. They may not be able to sit in total silence for twenty minutes without a thought making its way back in.

Starting yoga is knowing that it is a practice that starts with small steps, first step is just showing up. What happens from there will change with each practice, you may fall out of a posture one day and hold it the next. You may become in tune with your breath, only to lose it again and then come back to it. You may have tight hips for two months and one day, notice that your hips are moving more freely than ever before. The tension you held in various parts of your body seems to soften. The ego that you held on so closely too, starts to become vulnerable and feel. The inflexible mind that was once yours, has become flexible. The body that was stuck is becoming free.