I’ve always considered the elephant to be my spirit animal.
I can’t tell you exactly why I was always been drawn to this magical animal, but there was something that gave me a sense of calm when I would look at them. I could feel their strength and grace, despite their size, and the juxtaposition of those qualities always intrigued me.
But it wasn’t until I dove into my yoga teaching did I understand exactly how majestic these creatures are and what they symbolize.
The elephant is represented as the Hindu deity, Ganesha. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, the lord of new beginnings and the sign of good fortune.
Now, as I take those representations to my yoga mat, I deeply believe that yoga does all of that for us. As much I love yoga, no wonder why I have loved elephants for so long!
Yoga always has and continues to do so, remove obstacles that are holding prime real estate in my life, my body and my mind.
Throughout my professional career, I chose to teach yoga at all the odd hours of the day, because no matter how tired I was, I always felt lighter and more energized after teaching.
When my hips or hamstrings are tight, a few Sun Salutations always seems to loosen my muscles and I feel less weighed down by my body after spending time on my mat.
And when I find my mind racing and worrying about situations in my life, when I sit in stillness and breathe, I, once again, feel lighter and clearer in my thoughts.
Yoga has given me the ability to know my own inner strength and has allowed me to practice grace not only to myself but to others. Just like what I saw in elephants for all those years back.
The abstract elephant that is The Yoga Citizen’s symbol was selected intentionally to represent to our community that we all have inner strength and grace. And it reminds us of beautiful life lessons to carry with us as we live our real and messy lives.
The Elephant and Ganesha
Elephant head: a symbol of strength and power
No matter what the other spirit animals out there may say to you, trust that you can do the tough stuff in life. You can move slowly and be gentle, but you know your inner strength and what you are capable of.
Large head: a symbol of intelligence and thinking ability
How can you approach your yoga practice, and life for that matter, with an open mind? Can you engage in conversation and do research that grows your knowledge base each and every day? Be curious and always be a student to learn something new.
Large ears: a symbol of the power of listening
Some of the most important messages are delivered quietly. A cry for help from a friend. Your body aching because it needs a healthy lifestyle adjustment. Or your intuition whispering to you to follow the nudge you feel in your gut to go after that goal. Listen intently.
Small mouth: a symbol of talking less, and listening more
How can you be more intentional with your words? Will the words you use bring joy to someone or hurt? Can you be concise and deliver impactful messages effectively to people you are around regularly? This also ties back to the power of listening and always being a student. Speak wisely and with compassion.
Small eyes: a symbol for a single-focus
Oh, the distractions today’s world dangles in front of us. The saturation of social media and the inherent comparison of ourselves to others that it creates. The opinions of family and friends who push you toward what they think is right, but you know that you need to do your own thing. The real struggle of finding a work-life balance.
Practice letting the distractions fade away and focus in on what matters the most to you. Be real with yourself and breath by breath you’ll let go of the unnecessary noise that surrounds you.
One broken tusk: a symbol of keeping the good and getting rid of the bad, as well as connectedness
Ganesha is shown with one good tusk. It’s a simple reminder that if something isn’t working, let it go and find another way. We can still be strong with less.
A single tusk also represents that we are all connected, and because we are different, doesn’t make us less of an “elephant”. We are not our possessions; we are all people and we’re in this together.
Large stomach: a symbol to digest all the good and bad in life
Simply put, we don’t know the good without the bad. We can appreciate happiness when we experience lows. Often times we find ourselves growing through the tough moments, take it all in and know that good will be entering your life again soon.
Another lesson Ganesha sometimes gives us is the actual obstacle in itself. It is said that challenges are put in front of us in order for us to grow.
I like to think of all us yoga citizens living our yoga daily. We stick together and care for our family, even the family that is not blood-related. Just like elephants do.
So, whether you are working through something or embarking on something new. Let the symbol of the elephant inspire you to rise up and to be bold, strong and graceful.
We are a tribe and I am so grateful you are here.
