Flexibility + Strength in the World

Let’s take the practice of Flexibility and Strength off the mat today.

Reflect for a moment in your life situations from the lens of “bending over backwards”, being too flexible, or what people may call “controlling”, being firm.

When you identify where these moments are, you discover what's working or not working when you bend over backwards or are too firm. Some ways this can show up: you may find that you say yes more than you say no. You may wake up feeling balanced and by the end of the day feel drained, you may start to feel resentment or frustrated. These are the moments to understand that when you say YES to something you are also saying NO to something else. Notice where you say YES (being overly flexible) where you meant to say NO. Where does this show up for you?

Saying this, there may be some places where you have collapsed being flexible for your identity. The mistaken belief could sound like “I am flexible and push my needs further away for the needs of others” - something like this? We all have beliefs in our lives that either serve or deplete us. The beliefs we tell ourselves are thoughts floating in our minds that create how we speak and act. To shift the balance of overbending or rigid we could begin to shift the beliefs in our minds:

“I am not worthy of my own balance” shifts to “I am here to serve others and myself”.

Let’s identify these moments to shift the balance of flexibility and strength. We may never have the “perfect” balance, however, we can begin to be aware of when we are over one way and over the other and insert forgiveness, patience, honesty, humour to shift quicker versus being in a place of doubt or frustration for 24-48 hours (or sometimes years!). Begin to find these moments to create balance in your life. To create strong boundaries that are of service to you, others and the community. The place to find these moments is if you wake up feeling nourished and balanced and then something in your day tips the balance to feeling challenged and frustrated.

Let’s use the Yamas to guide us as we may shift moments in our lives. When we bend over backwards, we can ask ourselves:

Is this harming anyone?
Is it truthful?
Am I stealing from anyone (including myself)?
Is this excess; am I conserving energy?
Am I attached?

Svadhyaya - Self Study:

Not to judge where you are, simply to notice,
Answer these questions: Where are you being too Flexible or Strong? Take inventory today, where may you be overbending? Where is here and how did we get here? Where are you being too flexible, that it’s throwing you off balance?
What are the limiting beliefs you are creating and what is the most generous beliefs you can create?
What would balance look like?

Insert ease in your conversations, your work, your relationships and insert some groundedness, some boundaries, communication and strength.

With peace,

Cecily