When I first started practicing asanas (the physical yoga practice), I used to admire people who could seamlessly maneuver into adho mukha vrksasana (handstand) or another seemingly “difficult” asana. I looked forward to the day when I’d be able to replicate their success.
After yoga classes, sometimes I’d chat with friends and we’d casually discuss the poses that we were good at or struggled with. We weren’t having those discussions to compete with one another, but I observed that part of yoga became a self-evaluation of our physical ability.
During my yoga teacher training, my philosophy teacher said something profound which helped me reframe and remember yoga’s ultimate goal:
“The hardest yoga pose isn’t a headstand (shirshashana), it’s sitting cross-legged, meditating. (padmasana)”
At face level, yes, meditating is difficult. Really difficult. But to extrapolate that quote, the reason we practice asanas isn’t to become fit (even though that is a nice benefit!), it’s ultimately to achieve greater clarity into who we are as individuals.
Much of our days are spent ‘outside’ of ourselves, interacting with family, friends, co-workers and even strangers. Even when we’re alone at our house, we often find ourselves ‘outside’ either watching TV or reading books. And when we’re exercising, we often have our headphones on and we’re listening to music. Hence, many of us don’t spend any time alone with our thoughts. And, how are we supposed to know who we are and what we truly want, if we don’t spend time alone with our thoughts?
Patanjali, a sage who wrote the yoga sutras, defined yoga as, “Yogaschitta vritti nirodha” or the state in which all mental/emotional fluctuations have become still.
Hence, yoga is a vehicle for us to spend time alone with our thoughts - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Yoga is about connecting and listening to ourselves and finding stillness within to ultimately achieve a state of peace.
If you can do a headstand, great. If you want to do a headstand, great. If you don’t want to do a headstand, great. If you can’t do a headstand, also great. Just remember, at the end of the day, yoga isn’t about your physical prowess, it’s about creating stillness in your mind (which is hard!).
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This is fantastic! My most recent post is about Savasana being a challenge for me... and I can do a headstand😉🙏🏻