Movement is made up of a lot of components; Strength, balance, endurance, coordination, and yes, flexibility. We all have gifts, and we all have deficits, and we all come to class with different histories in our bodies.

If you’re avoiding the mat because you can’t do the stretchy, splitsy, twisty stuff, you’re turning away from a chance to notice where your gifts are.

Whatever your range of motion, these things are always true: its good to move, and the only body you can move with is the one you’re in right now.

We know it can be hard to watch someone do this-

when you’re struggling to touch your toes. But there’s a lot of other good stuff happening in you practice – spine flexion, leg strengthening, balance – that have physical benefits, and that feel good! Even if they don’t look so impressive.

To make peace with your flexibility as it is today, I recommend two steps:

1) Learn to notice your comparing mind. That’s the little voice in your head that says, “look at what he/she/they’re doing – thats better than what I’m doing.” At first, just notice it. Acknowledge it. Think, “That’s my comparing mind.” You can even say (in your head) “Thanks comparing mind, but I don’t need your input for this. Take a break, I’ll ask for your help later when I’m selecting a watermelon.”

2) Point your attention at your experience. Notice how you’re feeling. Where do you feel the stretch? Where do you feel your strength activated? What is the texture of the floor under you feet? Pointing your attention at your experience enables you to fully embody any pose, whether its the splits or simply standing.

Now you may be thinking, “that’s all well and good but what if I just can’t do what the teacher is saying?” We’ve got you! Our teachers are trained to go into postures with incremental instruction, so that the first step or two is almost always accessible. If not, you can simply come back to standing, kneeling or laying down, and ask your teacher about modifications after class.