Let Yoga Be a Journey

This was written by Melissa Gerson (my sister!), a yoga instructor in Parker, Colorado:

A lot of yoga participants are looking to achieve the perfect yoga pose according to someone else's standards. Well, here's the thing...The perfect pose is different for each person. Everyone's body is unique, everyone responds differently to a pose, and no one's pose will ever match someone else's. You can push it, to try and force your body into a certain look. And your body might match the "picture perfect pose" perfectly, but that doesn't mean you've perfected the pose. (Say that 10 times fast!) And it's not just the physical aspect. There's a mental portion to every pose as well. It's more important to know what is the purpose of the pose. Why am I doing this? What's the point? If you don't know, ask. Otherwise, you might end up hurting yourself just trying to make the pose look "right". Maybe, technically, your arms should be at 90*. Well, what if your arms don't go to 90*? What if they are at 88*? Or 72* Does that mean the pose is wrong? How about instead, think about the reason why your arms should try to be at 90*. Is it for an arm stretch, a shoulder stretch, a strengthening move, or all three? Then can you find a position that is moving towards 90*, that includes the purpose of the pose? And as long as you feel the stretch/strength happening, should it really matter if your arms are at 90*? Nope. Not at all. What if you're extra-stretchy? Should you stop at 90*? Again, what's the purpose? If it's stretching, no. If it's strengthening, then probably yes.

However, this means that you, as the yoga participant, have a lot of responsibility. If yoga poses were all about the look, I could simply come around and move you into the correct pose, hoping not to hurt you while I do that (and a lot of instructors do just this, but that's their perspective, and good for them). But you're not a puppet, so cut the strings! It's more important that you take your awareness inside, find the purpose of the pose and move your body accordingly. Yes, I'll still make a few mild adjustments, but mostly for safety or to direct your awareness. But your pose is up to you. Maybe, for whatever reason, today your body is extra tight and you don't want to push it. Then take your awareness inward and find your pose. And I won't come around and force you into something you're not ready for. Your body will achieve all of the poses, when it's ready. Forcing a pose will only slow you down. In yoga, pain is not gain, it's simply pain...which makes your body tighter, adds stress, and makes you not want to come back to class, which makes you tighter still, which makes you grumpy, which makes others grumpy, and isn't the world grumpy enough already? So let's make the world a happier place just by listening to our bodies, honoring its' requests, and being nice to ourselves. See how yoga solves the world's problems? :)

Okay, back to the rant and my last point...Don't get frustrated! These poses were created by yogis who have been practicing 10-12 hours a day since childhood in 100*+ temperatures. It's their job, their lifestyle, and in come cases, their religion. I'm grateful that these yogis exist/existed, I am humbled by their dedication and I honor their teachings and guidance which offer amazing direction for our practice. But that's exactly what their teachings are - a direction, not a goal. A goal means that if we don't achieve it, we've failed. The only way to fail in yoga is to give up, to quit trying. Did you really enjoy your first yoga class? Probably not. But you tried again. And now look where you are! Yoga is a journey. Remember that most of us didn't start yoga until much later in life and only because we could feel how stiff we were becoming. So should we be ashamed that we can't touch our toes? No way. We're trying, we're slowly loosening up and that's all that matters. Does it mean we're not healthy if we can't wrap our leg around our neck? Nope. Healthy means our body is strong enough to support our lifestyle - that's it. And I don't really need my leg around my neck, so I'll be happy to settle for less back pain and a stronger core. If I get more physically from my yoga practice, then it's a bonus but not a necessity.

Please note that all of the above is just my opinion. Believe me, a lot of people will disagree. And I've tried to stick with only the physical aspect of yoga. Believe me again, you do not want to get me started on the mental/spiritual side unless you are looking for a long, boring summer read. I wanted to write this mainly because I keep hearing people say, "I can't do yoga, I'm not flexible enough", which makes me a little crazy. That would be like saying, "I'm not sending my daughter to school because she can't read". We've all seen the covers of yoga magazines, with the beautiful woman smiling while in some crazy pose with perfect hair and make-up. In reality, who actually looks like that when practicing? I don't like the image this gives yoga. We work hard and we sweat. None of us are flexible unless we stretch. I had a teacher say once that it's good to be tight because then you don't have to move as much. Look at the guy int he picture above. Imagine how far he has to go to get a deep, satisfying twist. I applaud his abilities, but that's a lot of work! I think I'll stick with my not-so-perfect poses and choose to feel great about myself no matter how far over I can or can't bend. Because I'm trying. And that's perfect. Now go have a great day!