The Strength of an Elephant

Last night I hated yoga. I tipped, I trembled, I clenched my jaw, I lost my breath, I soaked my mat with sweat. All that I could think of was the final pose, when my torment would be over. My instructor noticed and asked how I was doing on the way out.

There were so many things I could've said (a line of excuses: "I was sick all week, I took a week off, I had wine every single evening for the last week while sick and not working out, I ate too much for lunch.") Instead, I told her that I felt like an elephant doing yoga. She smiled and told me that is a good thing: Elephants are referenced in the yoga sutras for their strength, balance, and grace.

Today I looked at the yoga sutras and found this:

Sutra III.24

By Practicing Samyama On (Physical) Strength, The Strength Of Elephants Can Be Acquired.



I am thankful for her reframe, and tonight I will return to class with a mindset that my trembling and sweating is weakness leaving my body to make space for the srength of an elephant.