Stretch in Your Body, Stretch into Your Full Potential
22 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
One thing I’ve observed over years of teaching yoga is that, sometimes, some people consider stretching to be something that is simple, easy, gentle, and not challenging. And yet if we think about the connotations of stretching when used in other contexts (for example, in intellectual or business endeavors), stretching is generally used to suggest something that is a little beyond one’s normal reach and that stretching pushes you to grow and expand in unexpected ways.
So what might happen if we flipped this around? What if we approached the physical stretching with a little more effort and approach the work as serious and challenging (rather than something that is thrown in as an afterthought following a “real” workout)? What might possibly be different if we applied ourselves with as much dedication and commitment physically as we would if we were being asked to stretch ourselves in our careers?
And what if we take the attitude of ease and gentleness commonly associated with a stretch class and apply it in a personal development context? What if we are encouraged to stretch ourselves and move ourselves closer towards the fulfillment of our full potential but, instead of pushing and forcing, the stretching comes from a place of kindness, gentleness, and ease?
