"I'm too weak and/or fat for yoga!"
this is what my good friend (who i initially started this blog for) texted me today. and this was my response, now for all of you that have ever thought this same thing too :)
hello love!
alright.
i invite you to look at exhibit A: fat woman in crow pose
http://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2hxidoeLF1roqykko1_500.jpg
and exhibit B: fat woman doing something I CANT EVEN DO YET
http://danceswithfat.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/splits-cropped.jpg
Uh yea. so that whole "im too fat for yoga" thing... not gonna fly.
Too weak? That may be a possibility... but only in your body. I refuse to believe, because i know your mind, that your mind is too weak. and as long as your mind is strong, your body will be able to follow. because everything we do in yoga, we lead with our heart and our mind. (we physically lead with our heart too, like in most of the poses the teacher will keep saying, lead with your heart lead wiht your heart haha and you literally are supposed to stretch your chest forward hahaha)
but its a great physical manifestation of a spiritual mantra.
lead with your heart and love yourself, love whatever you can do and then "find your edge" as we always say in yoga-- this means to comfortably push and challenge yourself. keep going until you really cant go anymore (without hurting yourself) and again, lead with your heart and be humble. if you need props, Â use props, if you need modifications, take a modification. and no matter how good you think you are at something, you can always improve on it. yesterday there was a summer solstice celebration yoga event, and at it, we did 108 sun salutations (yes my body is so sore right now...). At first i was like, wtf we're only doing sun salutations today? too basic.... i wanna do some dragonflies or something "cool"! But whatever, ill be humble and happily do 108 sun salutations instead. well guess what, never until yesterday have i really appreciated all those "basic" sun salutation moves. it wasnt until doing them 106 times (i had to take a break for 2 or 3 of them) that i realized just how much there was to improve in doing a "simple" downward dog, or a chaturanga. or an upward dog. and sure, i felt huge accomplishment when i finally got my first crow pose, or my first headstand, or flying pigeon, whatever. even when i finally did a supported forearm stand. but being able to do something "simple" like sun salutations 106 times and knowing that i pushed myself to do one more, knowing that i got a little better at something i thought i knew, and feeling myself learn along the way, was just as fulfilling. and gaining the knowledge that you can always get better was very freeing. everyone is always impatient to learn this or get that right away, but a true yogi will always remind you that this is a lifelong practice. and that's what i love about it. in many other sports, you have to be young or this or that to play, but yoga, if you do it right, you can do it forever. and what's better than that? than having a friend you really can visit, ANY TIME? nothing. so be patient, yoga is always there for you. and yoga doesnt judge you. so dont judge yourself. push yourself, find your edge. be happy you got a tiny bit further today. can you get even further? yes? awesome! you got even further! can you not? whatever. because you'll be back tomorrow.Â
namaste
