No Big Deal-The Essence of Flexibility

What does it mean to be truly flexible? I am not talking about getting your leg over your head or being able to touch your toes in a forward fold. But what defines a flexible mind? A flexible heart?

At one point in my practice, many years ago, I became very attached to my successes. I was having breakthroughs every class, big aha moments, transformative realizations about myself. And then, that passed and it seemed like every yoga class I took was boring. Nothing was happening. I was "going" nowhere. Nothing life-changing was occuring.

I talked with several of my spiritual teachers about this, one of whom was a Tibetan Buddhist and meditation teacher. She said something very useful to me: "Stop seeking, Kim. Keep showing up on your mat but stop seeking. And when you find yourself seeking, take a breath and call it "thinking."

(to be continued....)

Posted on Mon, October 19, 2009 by Kim Groark

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5 comments (Add your own)

1. Greg wrote:: Love this!!!!
Mon, October 19, 2009 @ 3:16 PM
2. Greg wrote:: Love the teacher's words here - especially labeling seeking as "thinking." I think it really speaks to the idea that we're always trying to get out of experiencing, and one of the ways of doing that is by analyzing and processing. Sometimes I wonder if we're not so narcissistic in our culture that "processing" is just another way for us to stay self-obsessed.
Mon, October 19, 2009 @ 3:25 PM
3. Scott wrote:: Wait a minute... you mean I shouldn't be looking for progress in my practice??? Seems like a strange concept, but I completely agree. I find that when I'm looking for a certain result in my practice or my life, I'm typically disappointed and left with a feeling of emptiness. Flexibility is all about taking life as it comes without expectations... riding the wave of life. If I'm in my center and breathing, it's easier to see the wisdom in life's constant change and to let go of my expectations. Maybe if I keep practicing mental and spiritual flexibility, someday my body will catch up. Then again, maybe not. And that's ok too.
Tue, October 20, 2009 @ 8:59 PM
4. JB wrote:: seek and ye shall find...and then what?
knock and the door will be opened...and then what?

I guess I'll just keep seeking and knocking...but then what?

Oh no, I just lost meaning in my life! Now what do I do? Who am I and what am I doing here anyway?

Pain is real...I'll look for some of that and then I'll remember the meaning of it all...
Wed, October 21, 2009 @ 10:28 PM
5. Yulia Heaton wrote:: "Nothing you do will change you, for you need no change. You may change your mind or your body, but it is always something external to you that has changed, not yourself. Why bother at all to change? Realize once for all that neither your body nor your mind, nor even your consciousness is yourself and stand alone in your true nature beyond consciousness and unconsciousness. No effort can take you there, only the clarity of understanding. Trace your misunderstandings and abandon them, that is all. There is nothing to seek and find, for there is nothing lost. Relax and watch the “I am”. Reality is just behind it. Keep quiet, keep silent; it will emerge, or, rather, it will take you in.”

Nisargadatta Maharaj
Fri, October 23, 2009 @ 12:46 PM

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