“I bend therefore I don’t break.”
Yeah yeah yeah, it’s such a common quote that you’ll see in many many #instagramyoga posts. Usually you’ll see this quote next to a major #backbend photo. Many likes are clicked. Everyone applauds to that mind boggling #asana. And comments like 😱👍🏼👏🏼👍🏼 are left.
But is this yoga? It is very easy to take the face value of a quote and stick it next to a picture and have some quasi philosophical moment or sharing. I mean, how often have you seen a well choreographed picture or selfie, with a caption of some totally unrelated nature? It’s easy to talk the talk. But as yoga teachers, we at least need to understand the true meaning of the talk before talking about it.
Pictured here is a #vrksasana #treepose with a backbend variation. A tree that can bend can withstand strong winds. But the tree can still break if it bends too much - so does our body. To train to be more flexible is not because we don’t want to break. Being flexible is more about the mindset - the ability to change in any 👎🏼💩🤒👺🤬 circumstances.
What are some of the most misused quotes you have seen? Let me know in comments below.
