“I’m not flexible enough for yoga.”

I cannot tell you guys how many times I have had this thought. I have almost quit practicing so many times because I would get so frustrated with my body. I'd constantly compare to other people’s bodies and be angry at myself for not being more diligent.

Someone asked me just yesterday at my class reunion (15 years!!), “Can I join yoga if my body is stiff?”. It had me thinking.. if there were any conditions that needed to be met to practice yoga, what would they be?

You have to be able to reach over and touch your toes to practice yoga?

You have to be able to sit on the floor to practice yoga?

You have to have no back pain to practice yoga?

Do any of these seem right? Personally, the more I think on it, it doesn't seem to me there would be many conditions that need to be met.. other than you have to have a mind that has the thought to practice and a body that shows up to do what it can in that moment. And you won’t know what that is until you try!

And suppose you find standing on one leg in tree pose is difficult. Or your back hurts in cobra pose. Or you can’t lift your head off the ground to come up into arch pose. Does that mean you can’t do yoga? Yoga is a practice of melting into the moment.

“

Suppose even from the beginning your postures come out well, the asanas (postures) are not complete because asana is not dance or performance. Completion of asana and completion of yoga come about together.

So when you come into an asana (yoga posture), whether you have a lot of desire, or your body isn't flexible, you don't need to feel worried or shy about it. Melting is possible in some dimension, and transformation is attained in some dimension.

“

~Master Bulbi

My hope is that my space always feels open and supportive for those who want to practice, no matter how many times we stop and start again, because that is what I receive from Ayurveda Yoga Academy.