May You Be Flexible

I’m often asked why I do yoga. I’m sure that many of you get this question a lot, and of course, you’ll know that your health and happiness has never been better.

But you’ll also get the very frustrating ‘I’m not flexible enough’ to do yoga. Which is just like someone saying that they can’t go to French lessons because they can’t speak French. Yoga has the lovely side-effect of improving our flexibility, as it improves our strength and general health and happiness.

However, one thing that yoga has helped me with over the years is to be flexible in my approach to life. I think that the process of watching the breath, moving consciously and quietly observing the body and mind becoming more open and spacious results in a view of life that better understands the nature of change. Of course, we’re all a little bit frightened of letting go, of saying goodbye, of change in life. Even when it’s obvious that what’s happening right now just isn’t working, it’s frightening to allow change to happen – who knows what the future will bring? And especially for me – I do love a plan! I’m a planning type, a structured type of personality.

But that’s exactly the point of yoga, I think. It is understanding the one inevitability in life is change, and is the art of being adaptable and excited about change. It’s embracing the new, understanding that each day is an opportunity to start over and adapt. I am forever grateful that yoga gave me the tools for the adaptability needed to start over with a new life from being left husbandless, jobless and homeless, as I was five years ago. I’m not sure how people who don’t do yoga on and off the mat are able to deal with the twists and turns of life.

In the world of entrepreneurship and start-ups, this is known as being ‘agile’, being able to change or ‘pivot’ a business according to the twists and turns of life. But it seems to me that this skill is one which every human being, as well as every business should attempt to cultivate. Being ‘agile’ or just plain flexible, is one of the biggest gifts of yoga I think.

And I thank you in advance for being adaptable to change with our new look website too. I know that change is often scary, but I do hope that when you get used to it, you enjoy your new My Subscription page and our homepage. Do please write and let me know your feedback!

>>Twist Into Joy>>

This week, in our new releases we have a selection of beautiful twisting, turning classes which I really hope that you enjoy and are able to give you the flexibility to happily embrace all the twists and turns that will inevitably happen this week.