It's not unusual for those of us pursuing education in either Yoga or Yoga Therapy to hear from others that we "must be really bendy" after all those classes!

Well... maybe. The reality is far more nuanced.

We humans are very visual creatures. Combine that with the fact that for at least the past 25 years, most North Americans have seen Yoga displayed in visual form purely as a physical practice that is only for the very flexible (and thin, and young, and white, and female... but that's a whole other topic). One of the results is -- and I've heard it a hundred times! -- that folks believe they need to be flexible first before they can even begin a Yoga practice.

Honestly, this is like saying you can't water your garden because it's too dry. Sure, some people are naturally bendy. And the rest of us gain varying degrees of flexibility through an asana practice, dependent upon our body's unique traits, through consistent practice over a long period of time. The only true requirement for beginning a Yoga practice is simply having a body.

And, please know that there's so much more to Yoga than what appears on the surface. What most folks still don't realize is that there is a deep, rich well of wisdom tradition underlying what we see out in the world about Yoga. And much of this wisdom tradition has little to do with fancy postures; it's all about calming the mind. Helping us navigate the world around us. Showing us how we got into our respective messes in the first place. Teaching us to be flexible, and not just in a physical way.

"The goal of yoga is adaptability, not flexibility. Many students come to asana practice in order to become more flexible. More important is learning to be adaptable and to let life flow through you."
-- Judith Hanson Lasater*

With chaos swirling around us as each day unfolds, which do you think is more important: to be known as someone who can touch their toes, or to be able to get a proper amount of sleep, have healthy digestion, engage in activities that bring you joy, experience healthy relationships with those you love, and do meaningful work in the world? A Yoga practice informed and supported by the myriad practices available in the tradition can help with all of that and more -- and you can still touch your toes if it makes your body feel good!

A healthy body that moves in all the ways we need it to and that can do so with ease and grace is a glorious and worthy goal. And as the mind and body are inextricably linked, easing one will only ease the other. Let them work together within a larger framework of creating adaptability so that we can face everything that life hands us with equanimity.

This is the magic of Yoga and of Yoga Therapy -- supporting the whole individual in their journey forward through the wisdom practices of Yoga. Body, mind, spirit, and community working together for the betterment of all life.

May all beings know peace. OM shanti.

*from A Year of Living Your Yoga: Daily Practices to Shape your Life, 2006

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P.S.: I do not use AI for any writing in my business. Rest assured that all current and future writing on this site and in associated newsletters and other correspondence comes only from the head, heart, and hands of Andrea Porter, and any original content created by other humans that I reference will be given appropriate attribution and citation.