By Samantha Thompson

"I do yoga so that I can stay flexible enough to kick my own arse if necessary." ~ Betsy Canas Garmon

When I saw this quote, I laughed for two reasons; the side of the yoga practitioner and the side of the yoga teacher. 

From a yoga practitioner’s perspective, I do yoga for all the health benefits guaranteed from a regular, consistent practice: 

Yoga works to find a balance in the body of strength and flexibility.  Often we find that we are strong, but not very flexible, or flexible, but not very strong.  In yoga, the asanas, (postures), are designed to help the body strengthen and open for optimal use of all muscles and joints.  Finding this balance in strength and flexibility is a great goal for you, if are working to tone, but still want to have an enhanced range of motion.

A consistent yoga practice stimulates the blood flow in the body, squeezing and cleansing the internal organs and systems, which assist the body in all of its input/output processes, such as better digestion and elimination, not to mention enhance your ability to have a healthier sex life.

Yoga breath (pranayama) enhances the oxygen content in the body creating a healthier functioning parasympathetic nervous system.  While the sympathetic nervous system is known as ‘fight or flight’, the parasympathetic is more commonly described as ‘rest and digest’; great for a good night’s sleep, or just quieting the mind from running it’s incessant To-Do Lists.

Yoga inversions (asanas where the heart is above the head, such as downward dog) are proven to aid the body in the stimulation of the thyroid gland, (which aids in regulating your metabolism), in increased blood flow to the brain, (which aids in concentration and focus), and is also said to aid the body in production of seratonin, (which is a neurotransmitter that helps to balance the body’s moods and counteracts depression).

And so as a practitioner, I try to maximize all these little perks just by taking class.  The great part is, I just practice and don’t have to think about each posture’s benefit, I just enjoy the after effects of a happy body. And let’s face it, we all would love to be physically able to ‘kick our own arse.’

As a yoga teacher, this quote makes me smile knowing the empowerment of yoga in my students’ lives, as well as my own.  While there are all the physical benefits from practicing yoga, it is often said that what you apply to your practice on the mat, you can take ‘off your mat and into the world.’ As you begin to practice yoga with consistency, you find that your ability to possess strength and flexibility in your life off the mat becomes more apparent in your daily choices.  You find when you need that extra bit of perseverance or endurance, you’ve already trained your body on the mat, so your mind believes it’s possible to ‘kick your own arse’ off the mat.

I have seen students who are more strong than flexible begin to develop their flexibility and find that, as a result, their personal lives become more enjoyable as they begin to open themselves up to possibilities that they never considered.  This has been as simple as more quality time spent with families without the aid of television, to complicated career or geographical changes. 

In yoga, you never know where you will end up, but that’s not the focus.  Instead you get on your mat and become open to enjoy the journey of what is now.  But to discover the ‘now’ of ‘how to kick your own arse’, you must first get on the mat.