My teacher, Octavio Salvado always asks, ‘do you want to be flexible, or do you want to be free?’
News flash, Yoga isn’t about being flexible. It is about self-awareness and self-knowledge on the path to self-love. The practice traditionally guides us through a specific progression in which we first become stable, calm and grounded. It is from this stable space we are able to explore our inner landscape (thoughts, emotions, etc.), then we expand our capacity for taking in life.
The practice itself creates growth. For it is when we become uncomfortable in a pose, and the mind wonders or we begin to fidget where the lessons are. This is the most crucial part of the experience! Stay in the pose and turn your gaze inwards. Slow down long enough to notice the thoughts, or emotions that are arising. Be ok with sitting in discomfort. For the discomfort is a teacher that revels the root cause of all of our pain and suffering.
So the next time you say, ‘I’m not flexible enough to go do yoga,’ remember that true Yoga is not about being flexible, it’s about being FREE.
