“I Bend So I Don’t Break” – Here’s What it Actually Means

You’ve seen it plastered on t-shirts, coffee mugs and inspirational posters: “I bend so I don’t break.“ To us yogis, we don’t necessarily need a piece of memorabilia to let everyone know that we bend. For a majority of us, it’s a personal relationship, one that not everyone may understand. If understood, they may never know our individual reasons for our daily bending.
 
If you haven’t bent physically today or yesterday, I would bet that you’ve somehow bent figuratively. As yogis, we understand that not everything will go our way 100% of the time. We see things as they are: those that can be changed and those that can not. Our practice doesn’t teach us to mold ourselves to others’ ideals, but it does teach us to bend for balance. It’s a constant cycle of give and take.

We must maintain a relationship with ourselves.

Every day, week, month and year we approach situations where we must use our practice to get us through. It may be something very small or it could be life changing. Yoga enables us to feel confidence in ourselves to always act in our best interest–operating from our highest expression–to ensure these situations are met with grace and an open mind.
 
Yet sometimes, we inevitably find ourselves making exceptions. Undertaking tasks that we may not necessarily enjoy, and appearing in places we’d rather not be seen. In most instances we have done it in the name of love. We do an act of service because we bend for those that are most important to us. Without our willingness to bend, we may lose those relationships.
 

 
Much like the relationships we tend to with others, we must also maintain a relationship with ourselves. This is often referred to as the most important relationship. In yoga we have devotion, discipline and goals to uphold the love we have for ourselves. In the bend of a pose, in the bend of emotion, and in the bend of a service we find the stability we need for our life. A happy, healthy and strong life.
 
Above all, we as yogis should live, breathe and act from a place of compassion. With compassion comes compromise. Within compromise is the fear of losing ourselves because of something or someone else. However, if you’ve acted from a place of understanding, compassion and compromise will come without fear.
 
As a cycle does, it always comes back around. We find ourselves at this understanding once again. We need to practice the ability to understand why we AND others bend. Without it we risk setting our world out of balance. Without balance, injury occurs. Bending in essence is a precaution. It’s a way to ensure we don’t break spirits, hearts and humanity.
 

I bend so I don’t break…

 
I bend so I don’t break promises.
 
I bend so I don’t break confidence.
 
I bend so I don’t break anyone or anything.
 
I bend so I don’t break emotions.
 
I bend so I don’t break my home.
 
I bend so I don’t break relationships.
 
I bend so I don’t break my career.
 
I bend so I don’t break routine.
 
I bend so I don’t break my mind.
 
I bend so I don’t break my conscience.
 
I bend so I don’t break my motivation.
 
I bend so I don’t break my body.
 
I bend so I don’t break my soul.
 
I bend so I don’t break my path.
 
I bend so I don’t break dreams.
 
I bend so I don’t break my yoga.
 
Why do you bend?