The Power of Yoga Can Make You a Superhero: What Magic Will You Do?

In a yoga class one morning, I considered the power of yoga in a new way when my teacher asked what I’d like my yoga superpower to be. Not the kind of question you expect a yoga teacher to ask, though there was a context to the question. Our teacher had just told us about a little girl who’d come to class with her mom and said she wanted to be a superhero that could “sneak” around the world and try new foods.

I was already thinking about how I’d like the power of yoga to work in my life when my teacher asked what I’d like my superpower to be. So many possibilities!

My first thought was that I’d like the power of yoga to give me the ability to always know the truth.

Of course it wouldn’t be enough to just know truth; I’d also need the ability to act on it — to act in accordance with the universe so I could make the right decisions.

Or maybe I’d like the ability to fix any health problem that arose. That came to mind because making an appointment for my annual physical was on my to-do list that morning.

I briefly thought I’d like to know the future. Then I realized I wouldn’t like that unless I could also change it if I wanted to.

Maybe the power of yoga for me could be the ability to control the future.

On second thought, I’ve spent enough time trying to do that. It only makes me nuts – and unable to enjoy the present moment.

So, how about the ability to always be present? Well, I’m happy to say my yoga practice has already given me that power a good deal of the time. Perhaps I should go for something more elusive, like the ability to be in pain without suffering. That would cover the need to fix health problems, and it could apply to non-physical pain as well! For instance, I could get along with everyone without the pain of trying to be someone or something I’m not.

To get along with everyone, I’d need a very open heart. So maybe I could harness the power of yoga to open my heart all the way (as opposed to the cautious openness most of us allow).

That brought me back to the idea of knowing the truth. If I was always certain what’s true, I’d have the confidence to keep my heart open. I’d always be able to act without fear of rejection or the temptation to be untrue.

Yes, knowing the truth will be my yoga superpower!

One problem though: Do I want to know the truth about myself? Well maybe, but only if I like what I know, or at least if I can change what I don’t like.

So back to control…

Sometimes there’s no clear answer. And that’s when it came to me: My yoga superpower will be the ability to sit with uncertainty and still have unwavering faith in my ability to make the right choices. 

Acting with faith despite uncertainty is certainly a superpower. And I have had glimpses of the power of yoga to work this kind of magic in my life. When we have the faith to sit with uncertainty, we have more room to create and grow.

So the yoga superpower I choose, at least for now, is the ability to have faith in the face of uncertainty.

Whether I ever actually get a yoga superpower or not, one thing is abundantly clear. Yoga can bring us all closer to many superpowers. And it can work a lot of other magic in our lives as well.

What about you? How would you like the power of yoga to work in your life?

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