Hey there! I thought for sure my first blog post would be about our wrists in downward facing dog, but after an impromptu yoga session with my parents this morning, I want to talk about the misconception of yoga.
First, a little back story. I was visiting my parents this weekend and noticed that they were moving a little slow this morning, now, we were all on our feet yesterday for 12+ hours, but my parents are super active. I asked them what was going on and they said they felt old and stiff. I suggested that we take a few rounds of forward folds and to my dismay, they both responded, “What, I can barely bend over, let alone touch my toes”! My reply of course, was, who cares about those toes, let’s just try.
So, with a little persuasion, we all met in the living room and they allowed me to guide them in a series of forward folds, baby back bends and a few standing half moons. It was beautiful to watch, with each fold (and lots of bending at the knees) their bodies relaxed and they went deeper into their stretch.
And then, it was music to my ears when I heard, “Wow, that felt great! I feel so much better!” And then, with a little horror, I heard, “I didn’t think I could do yoga, I’m not flexible enough”. So it got me to thinking…
Everyone can do yoga, I know that, I hope you know that and now, they know that. I realize this morning was not about the physical practice of yoga, but about breaking down the barriers of what people think yoga is. To me, yoga is about feeling the best you can in your body. And it’s also about where your practice is right now. End of story.
See you on the mat!