As I started doing yoga, I soon learned there were a lot of poses that did not come naturally to me: I was going to have to work on them. All my running has made me a lot less flexible in the last couple of years, and I have a few tender spots that I need to be more cautious about. In my training to become a teacher, we talked about knowing your own limits and the limits of your students. How will I know where my limits are? As we continued learning asanas and I worked with my own limits, a quote came to mind, one that I first saw in my grandparents' home as I was growing up.
It became very clear how I can approach a new aspect of yoga! Serenity to accept a limit that I have, courage to challenge those limits, and the kratu (or intelligence in action) to know how to proceed. When we were learning the stacked log pose, I was very sensitive to the fact that I had been recovering from some knee injuries from running, and gratefully kept my pose in a safe position; I would like to continue doing the active things I love pain-free! But at the same time, I would love to challenge my limits further and be able to hold a headstand, and that requires some courage.
Be creative and open to improvement, but be smart about it.
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