Yoga is for Everyone! (Almost)

Pattabi Jois, the late guru of Ashtanga yoga, said that yoga is for everyone except the lazy.  A lot of people have preconceived notions about yoga. The most common thing I hear is, “I’m not flexible enough,”. If you already were flexible, then you would not need yoga! Above many other things, yoga will make you more flexible if you put in the work.

One thing that has amazed me is how much our bodies are capable of. Aside from everything that needs to happen just to keep us alive at every moment (which is pretty crazy if you think about it!), our bodies are capable of bending and stretching in ways I could never have imagined. But what is the point of all this bending and stretching?

After years of practice I have realized it is not about the outcome of the posture, but the journey that takes you there. When our bodies are flexible our mind is able to be more flexible, too. We are able to see the limitless possibilities in what our bodies can do and even more the limitless possibilities of what our minds can do.

But I can’t do yoga, I have a 9-5 job and lot of responsibilities! I always thought it was easy for my yoga teachers to be “true yogis” because that’s what they do all day. I am a dentist, so therefore I can’t be a true yogi. I realized I was wrong.

In dentistry, it can become easy to start seeing people as just teeth, or patients, as a root canal or a crown.  It can create quite a superficial approach to care!  Yoga has helped me to see people as people, and I try my best to inspire them to take care of themselves. I appreciate that they have taken the time to go to the dentist and invest in their health and well-being.  I search for the calm and peace I feel on the yoga mat while I’m sitting in my dental chair or driving to work in the morning. I take the lessons I learn on my yoga mat and apply them to my day to day life.

That is what I feel is a true yogi. I feel as though I am only scratching the surface of this journey. The goal of  YogaDentist to share this path with others to inspire and educate the benefits I have seen yoga has to offer with my dental colleagues.

Namaste!

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