Written by: Ohad Meir, Yoga Practitioner and Instructor
Personal Growth through Mental Flexibility
When most people think of yoga, they often focus on physical flexibility, but the mental clarity and flexibility that yoga brings are just as important.
In yoga, the physical practice is the smallest part of the yogi’s personal journey. Yoga is not just about the body—it’s about the mind.
"Sow a thought and reap an action. Sow an action and reap a habit. Sow a habit and reap a character. Sow a character and reap a destiny." (Swami Sivananda)
In the journey I’ve been on over the past few years, I’ve come to understand how essential mental practice and mindfulness are in shaping the quality of our lives. The mind is like a muscle—although we can’t physically stretch it or move it around like other muscles, we must realize that mental practice is just as necessary as physical practice in yoga. It cannot be skipped.
Mental Flexibility: The Key to Growth
Our mind is a sophisticated system, constantly collecting information from the moment we’re born. Every experience—taste, smell, emotion, or danger—is processed, analyzed, and stored away for future use.
As children, our minds are incredibly flexible. We’re like little scientists, exploring the world through trial and error. There are no preconceived notions about what we should do, so there’s no judgment or expectation—everything is an adventure. For children, this is an exciting and exhilarating experience.
But as we grow older, we start to rely on the data we’ve gathered over the years to predict how our body and mind will react to different situations—tastes, events, emotions, dangers. And instead of exploring, we begin to act out of habit, based on past experiences, automatically expecting certain outcomes.
This is where the problem begins.
The problem is the rigidity of our minds. We stop exploring and instead operate based on instinct and patterns built from past experiences. It’s like being on autopilot—this blocks us from being fully present in the moment. Instead of experiencing the here and now, we subconsciously analyze and predict outcomes, often based on outdated memories or fears.
The Challenge of Mental Rigidity in a Stressful World
In a world that’s full of challenges and unpredictability, it’s easy for our minds to become fixed and resistant to change. In fact, when we go through stressful or traumatic experiences, like many of us have, our minds become more rigid in an attempt to protect us. We avoid certain situations or things to keep ourselves from reliving negative emotions or fears.
Since I began to understand this process, I’ve made it a point to turn off my “autopilot” every day. I challenge myself to experience things with fresh eyes, not allowing past experiences to fool me into making automatic decisions.
A Small Personal Experiment: Breaking Old Patterns
At work, I make it a point to bring tasty treats to the tea corner I set up for the office. Then came Purim, and of course, a delivery of Haman's ear cookies arrived at our tea corner.
But there was one problem—poppy-filled Haman's ear cookies . I’ve never liked poppy seeds. I thought to myself, Do I really hate poppy seeds, or is this just a memory from childhood? I realized that the last time I’d had poppy seeds was probably when I was a kid, and since then, I’d never really tried them again. Instead, I’d just stored that childhood memory of disgust in my mind.
After complaining about it for a few days, there was one last piece left. It stared at me, and I stared back at it for two days. It refused to leave, and that’s when I realized—this was an opportunity for me.
It wasn’t just about eating a cookie. It was about challenging myself.
It was there for me:
To practice mindfulness.
To release old patterns.
To break free from mental rigidity.
A Lesson in Flexibility
So, after two days of complaining and laughing with my colleagues about how inedible poppy seeds are, I decided, “Alright, Ohad, it’s time to practice mental flexibility.” I repeated to myself: “Poppy seeds are edible. Poppy seeds are tasty.”
And then, lo and behold...
It wasn’t amazing, and I didn’t suddenly fall in love with poppy seeds. But I didn’t hate them either. They weren’t disgusting. And I consciously recorded new information in my mind and body!
Breaking News! It’s edible!
So after 32 years of thinking otherwise, here’s my announcement to the world:
I hereby confirm that it is indeed possible to eat poppy-filled Haman's ear cookies after 32 years of thinking it was impossible!
But, let’s be honest—halvah or chocolate is definitely more delicious. 😄
Thanks to my wonderful colleagues for the opportunity to experience this small (but significant) lesson.
A Small Challenge for You: Mental Flexibility in Your Own Life
If you’ve made it this far, I challenge you to find something small in your own life that you’ve been avoiding or judging because of an old memory or fear. It could be something as simple as a new food, a new habit, or a new experience. Give it a try, and see how practicing mental flexibility can help you break free from old patterns.
We’d love to hear how it goes. Feel free to share your experience with us! 😉
Wishing you a joyful and playful month ahead!
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