Yoga 101- The Power of Perseverance

“Blessed are the flexible for they will not get bent out of shape.” – Anonymous

Yoga 101 – Be flexible

This quote is so commonly used within the yoga community that it may be cliche to those that have been practicing for a while.

Flexible about what?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The great majority of men are bundles of beginnings.” Are you merely a starter, or are you also a finisher? When the entusiasm for a new idea fades, when the odds against you increase and the results diminish, when it looks as if success is impossible, you must keep forging ahead. Admiral Robert Peary attempted to reach the North Pole seven times before he finally succeeded. Oscar Hammerstein produced five shows on Broadway that were flops before staging “Oklahoma,” which was seen by almost five million people during a record-breaking run of 2,212 performances. Quitting is more about who you are, than where you are or what you’re up against. We all have our excuses.

The truth is external things don’t stop us; it’s what happens to us on the inside! Most of us stop ourselves from reaching our potential. We can pretend that people, things, and situations outside of ourselves are to blame, but in reality most failures are just the result of a lack of bulldog-like tenacity. Leonardo da Vinci said, “obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed on a star, does not change his mind.” You must have a mindset to tenaciously pursue your dream. The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying. There is no insurmountable barrier except your own inherent lack of purpose and persistence.

(My mother sent me these words of encouragement the other day btw…Mom’s are the BEST!)

Yoga makes you flexible in more ways than one

For the beginner this may seem like mumbo jumbo, but for anyone that has spent even 6 months plus on their yoga mat this makes perfect sense. Patience has a bend; gratitude has a bend; humility has a bend; reaction time to those things that annoy you has a bend; etc. Yoga transcends all the poses, and all of the sweat, and all of the work you do on your 12sqft of mat space. It is the MOST common analogy made: what you practice on your mat helps you off of your mat. When you practice being patient with yourself over the frustration of not being able to do a pose today, that practice makes you patient with yourself over all aspects of your life. It’s as if you have a patience muscle that you spend 60-90 mins doing reps with, challenging it sometimes beyond fatigue. This is why yoga changes us and why, when you start down the path, for most you can never turn back. The yoga journey never ends. It sort of reminds me of when Neo was offered the Blue pill or the Red pill. Once you have taken the Red pill (yoga) you can’t turn back; the lights are on and you start to see the world in a whole new way!

Hooray for Yoga! Hooray because through the yoga practice people find balance in their lives, renewed strength in their bodies, and conviction in their souls! Hooray that moms can take yoga so they don’t want to kill their children or gnaw off the heads of their husbands! And hooray that because of yoga you meet people that you may have never met and that have inspired you to do things you may have never done! And finally hooray for yoga… because otherwise I wouldn’t have a yoga studio, with a yoga website, where I created a yoga blog, and I get to share my excitement over quotes my mom sent me about overcoming obstacles and making them your little bitches!

Love you all!

Peace

- TB