Thursday, January 31, 2013

My body is not bendable at all!!!

" My body is not bendable at all!!", this is a quote from someone who saw a video of Wai Lana performing the camel pose!  Click on this link to see the video, if you are interested.  Wai Lana Camel Pose.

I feel sad when I hear people say things like this about yoga.  Media images of people showing off on how bendable their bodies are via yoga, is a huge influence on one of the reasons why people refuse to give yoga a chance.

Have you noticed that not one body is similar to another body?  That also means that some bodies just cannot do certain poses!  Some bodies cannot flex in a certain position because their bodies are not made to do so!   Take for example, the camel pose, you don't have to do it perfectly like Wai Lana does in her video. There are variations for those of us who cannot attain that pose.  There are props that we can use such as blocks or belts, or cushions, or walls.  There are beginner variations of poses that we can look up or ask our yoga instructor about, that are just as beneficial to the body as the "actual pose".

Just because you cannot do a certain pose, doesn't make you a "failure" in yoga.  In fact, just trying makes you a winner, just trying gives you the same benefits of doing the "real" pose.

It takes time to do certain poses.  After three years of using props (belts, blocks, pillows, etc), or beginner variations of the Camel Pose, I can now get into the Camel.  Not for long mind you, but I can do it.  And that's three years of practicing 3-4 times a week.  One of the beautiful benefits of yoga, is patience and learning when to take it easy on your body.  You learn a lot of patience, and you learn to treat your body with respect.

So if you see someone in an unbend-able position, don't fret, there are other ways to attain the same benefits, and with patience, one day you may be able to do that pose that you thought impossible.

Namaste ~~

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