If you don't feel pain it means that you do it wrong!

"If you don't feel pain it means that you do it wrong!"

That's my stringent yoga instructor's favorite quote of which I have no argument.
Not only because she would shout at me if I didn't do the pose her way, but also because I read that one of the essence was to find peace amidst the suffering.

Yet due to the pain, some people prefer doing it in other, more fun ways, to find peace and happiness.
Guess its all come down to each owns preferences.

Hence it tickled me to reason why I liked yoga, why I liked finding peace through the suffering.

Perhaps since some people were destined to live the hard way.
That it was God's plan for them to guide them through the ordeals.

Or because some people thought they didn't deserve the good life.
That they would have to restrain their happiness as not to turn into arrogance and bad luck.

Anyway in the wake of current global economic crisis, it was them who lived the hard ways that survived or even thrived.

And as my funky yoga instructor told me that one of her reason to learn yoga was to boast the inhuman poses to others (though with all her beauty and charm I don't think she will need that :)), there is silver lining in every clouds.

Consciously 'tortured' the body prepares it to the unexpected, real life tortures and injuries and making it more resilient and flexible.
And self-restraint is a vehicle to preserve resources for the unexpected.

So, live the life fully, and save some for tomorrows.

(previously posted in Facebook on January 18th, 2009)