The art of the possible

I laughed out loud at the instructions:  "Exhale, bend forward.  Rest the forehead, then the nose, then the lips, and lastly the chin on your right knee."

Then I looked over to my right and the woman on the right was actually doing it.

Holy crap!

Now that I have moved up  a level or two in my yoga practise I am attempting more challenging poses, and struggling a bit with how much to push myself.  How much is actually doable for me in my present body, what I should aspire to?  It is a very interesting process.

I know when I rediscovered yoga a few years ago I couldn't even touch my toes.  Now I have to be careful I don't hyper-extend.  At the same time, I love my body - it is the only one I have!  So although the person to the right of me is inspiring me, I know my limitations.  Or do I?

Here is Iyengar doing yoga in 1938.  He celebrated his 95th birthday in December and still practises 5 hours a day (not counting the time he spends teaching his students).