Yoga is more than flexibility. Yoga is stability.

We don’t have enough fingers and toes to count how many times a month we hear the word yoga followed closely by the word flexibility. It usually comes in either the form of not being flexible enough or wanting to gain more… all based from a source of scarcity.  Very rarely, do we hear someone say that they are “too flexible.”  But yoga isn’t just about flexibility. Yet, it’s still one of the first (of the many) benefits that come to mind in today’s world.  But, trust us, anyone can stretch.  The question is whether you can discover something deeper in your practice.  Indeed, in the yoga texts which guide our practice, there’s very few sutras that are dedicated to asana (the physical poses that we practice in the studio), and none of the sutras include the concept of building physical flexibility.

However, in the sutras discussing our physical yoga practice, Patanjali teaches us that yoga postures must possess the qualities of stability and ease.  (sthira sukham asanam.  Sutra 2.46).The sutras go on to explain that you practice asana by applying appropriate effort and contemplating the infinite.  (Sutra 2.47), and through this you become undisturbed by life’s challenges.  (Sutra 2.48). This.  THIS. This is why we love the physical practice that we have developed at our studio so much.  Through the stimulation of the challenges that we create through the physical poses, we progress through each pose with practice and with faith that anything is possible. And in the face of intense challenge, we have created stability in our physical being and our mindset to create a sense of calm in even the most chaotic circumstances.

Next time you are on the mat, listen to your instructor’s cues.  Notice the focus on the breath, and then notice the breath in your body.  Allow yourself to experience the calming effect of the breath as it activates the parasympathetic nervous system which tames the fight or flight response under challenging circumstances.  Observe how as you control the breath, you are able to create space in your mind to build the awareness of the different sensations in your body as your fully envelop the pose. Allow yourself to use your breath to ease tension in the body and to build faith in the body’s capabilities.  Allow yourself to think from an abundant perspective in which you do not fear adversity (ie; long, deep holds in poses, new poses such as inversions and arm balances, or thoughts based in scarcity thinking that you’re not strong enough, balanced enough, focused enough), and notice the ease that takes over the mind and in the physical being.  Observe the stability that develops in mind and body. Notice how with consistency and dedication your practice develops into what is contemplated by the ancient teachings. Then, take your experience on the mat and apply to the challenging circumstances that you encounter in life.  Is it possible to take the lessons of building stability in the studio and apply them to our every day lives?  Yes, absolutely, and that’s why we yoga, and we yoga as often as we can.  We experiment with different shapes, temperatures, paces, styles, and intensities so that we can mimic the stimuli from the outside the world.  The lesson is that we have the tools, and the more we practice using them on the mat, the more stable we become off the mat.

Flexibility really is just an added side effect of a physical yoga practice… both in mind and in being. The more stable you are in your sense of self, the more flexible you can be off the mat. So, the next time you hear you’re not flexible enough for yoga… our answer is no, not yet.  But, with practice, you’ll develop it… and oh, so much more.