Many kids love the Olympics. They are really special because they only come around every four years. This morning in my pre-school yoga class (3-5 year olds) at a daycare, five out of eight kids said they were watching the Olympics on TV. Earlier in the summer, my nephew asked to have an Olympic-themed birthday party, and it was a hit with all the kids.

At the Olympics, many athletes record their personal best, and are happy to know that they themselves are among the best in the world. Not everyone will win gold, but it is an incredible accomplishment to qualify and participate in the games.

Yoga is not usually a competition, but it is a challenge. We are striving for our personal bests, wanting to master a pose so we can move on to more difficult ones. When others can do a pose better than we can, we can choose to feel defeated or inspired. We can be happy to be around our peers who have mastered poses we have yet to master ourselves, just like the Olympians are happy to be at the games. It is up to the individual.

Yoga teaches us to overcome challenges. Off the mat, we have greater courage to start living life with more meaning. This is true success.

“As long as we are not bold enough to step out into the unknown
and experience life to its fullest,
we will feel bored.”

If kids are never given challenges they will never experience the bliss of living. There is no greater feeling than lying on the ground exhausted and satisfied, having fully put body, mind, and spirit into overcoming a challenge.

A Challenge for you: Can you guess some Olympic inspired yoga poses? Comment below!