Finding Your Edge

In yoga, we talk about 'the edge' a lot. But what exactly is this edge we speak of? The edge, at least to me, is that sweet spot just before pain and just after your pose really starts to make you work. Going inward is a huge part of yoga, and one of the benefits of turning inward is to be able to identify your own personal edge in your practice. The edge has a very definite feeling to it. It's that line right between the known and the unknown. 

When you reach that point, it's best to stay right there until it is no longer your edge and you can go further to find your new edge. So, say you're in downward dog and your hamstrings are really tight. Maybe you bend your knees slightly for the duration of your downward dog because that is your edge. Stay there, and work with it. Breathe into it. Explore that edge. Then, perhaps a week later with regular practice you start to notice that the slight bend in the knees is no longer where you feel your edge. Maybe you take it further. 

The goal is to just settle into your edge, wherever that may be, for the time being. Be mindful not to push yourself too far- that's a recipe for pain and injury. But finding that edge, working with it, and moving past it when you're ready is the key to growth.