Michael McGriffy, MD

A favorite excerpt from Meditations from the Mat, Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga written by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison:

“Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.”
- Michael McGriffy, MD, Page 288

On day two of our training, I held a winning lottery ticket in my hand. I laughed and shouted with excitement, fully living in the moment, not thinking about the money at all, just experiencing the feeling of joy. “How much did you win?” asked my husband. “A dollar!” So I came out even in my gamble. It was neither good nor bad, but my response to the moment was what made it worthy. I would hope that my response to the ticket was the same whether I won a lot or nothing at all.
We all know about the inherent strength of bamboo. It sways and flexes in the wind, bending when necessary, never fighting with a storm. But at the same time, it is so strong, it cannot be easily broken. When our minds are modeled after bamboo, we are firmly rooted into the earth, swaying when necessary but never being broken by outside influences. Having a strong base from which we stand on will allow the wind to rush through our hair while our limbs stay at our sides and we accept the wind and just let it do its thing, knowing that the wind will eventually subside and we will stand in tadasana again.
This flexibility is so close to my heart because I have been practicing it for so long and will always work on becoming more flexible. I won't say, "Hey, I'm flexible," and then just stop trying. It doesn't work that way. Being flexible means knowing that more flexibility can be attained by trying.