Over the last week, I was fortunate to have vacation days that were filled with no plans and no stress. A fabulous staycation at home with my family. Blue skies matched the blue water of the lake and it was so peaceful to simply take in the view.
One morning, I opted to do yoga on our upper deck. In my mind, it was practically a yoga retreat far, far away and I was as pliable as my daughters Play-Doh. However, as I started my sun salutation, I was acutely reminded that my current state of flexibility is more aligned with the popsicle sticks in the bomb pops in our freezer.
As I moved through several different stretches, I felt the discomfort of each muscle fiber and allowed that tension to co-exist with me, in acceptance of the moment. Deep breath after deep breath.
In the midst of this, I thought about the concept of flexibility, to bend without breaking, and how much this same concept applies to life.
Yes, we need to be strong, but not rigid. Rigidity can also be a form of fragility. To prevent breaking down, shattering secondary to whatever life throws at us, we need to be able to adapt. To bend. To be flexible enough. Flexibility of the mind is much like flexibility of the body. It results in discomfort, it takes practice to evolve and the benefits are ample.
We may not all be as pliable was warm Play-Doh, but with practice, we can improve a little more every day.
Stretch on my friends, stretch on.