A lot of people are too self-conscious to try a yoga class because they feel they have to be flexible before they even start. Actually, the opposite is true. As a beginner, you don't need any special skills to start. If you can breathe and move your body at all, you can do yoga.
There's no need to be perfect in yoga -- or anywhere, really. No need to make your pose look like your neighbor's pose or the teacher's pose. In fact, you can be pretty sure that no one is paying any attention to you, except the teacher. Everyone else is too engrossed in their own body and their own yoga experience to notice what your body looks like in chair pose.
Sometimes students get frustrated with themselves because they can't do a certain pose yet, or they don't seem to be as athletic, strong or flexible as some other students. This is a self-defeating type of mindset. If your teacher says to grab your toes in happy baby pose, but you can't reach them today, that's okay. All of the teacher's cues are simply suggestions to help you get more out of the pose and get more centered in your body. When those toes don't make it to your fingers, go ahead and think about the rest of the pose. In the case of happy baby, you want to concentrate on lengthening the spine, since that is the main objective for that pose. You can always ask your teacher if you have a question about the primary purpose of a pose. Do what feels right in your body in that moment.
Everyone's body is different in so many ways. Even bodies that look similar in size and shape on the outside can be quite different on the inside, in terms of the skeleton and fascia. So we should expect that my cobra pose will never look exactly the same as anyone else's cobra pose. Don't compare yourself to others. Don't try to make your physical poses perfect. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
Full disclosure here: I'm frequently susceptible to perfectionism, even though I try not to be. Sometimes I'm disappointed when I fall out of tree pose or can't hold an arm balance. Sometimes I'm very hard on myself when I make mistakes, like forgetting to send a required form into my son's school, or ruining a cake by leaving it in the oven too long, or losing my cool and yelling at my kids. The best I can do is not stay stuck in that mode of self-criticism and instead move toward restoring calm, peace and self-forgiveness.
Where do you find yourself slipping into perfectionism? Does it affect your work or family life? If you compare yourself to others in yoga class, does that serve your goals, especially goals like relaxation and peace of mind?
Yoga is not a competition. It's an exploration to learn about yourself, your breath and your body. As they say, it's yoga practice, not yoga perfect. How can you practice letting go of perfectionism in yoga and in life?
There's no need to be perfect in yoga -- or anywhere, really. No need to make your pose look like your neighbor's pose or the teacher's pose. In fact, you can be pretty sure that no one is paying any attention to you, except the teacher. Everyone else is too engrossed in their own body and their own yoga experience to notice what your body looks like in chair pose.
Sometimes students get frustrated with themselves because they can't do a certain pose yet, or they don't seem to be as athletic, strong or flexible as some other students. This is a self-defeating type of mindset. If your teacher says to grab your toes in happy baby pose, but you can't reach them today, that's okay. All of the teacher's cues are simply suggestions to help you get more out of the pose and get more centered in your body. When those toes don't make it to your fingers, go ahead and think about the rest of the pose. In the case of happy baby, you want to concentrate on lengthening the spine, since that is the main objective for that pose. You can always ask your teacher if you have a question about the primary purpose of a pose. Do what feels right in your body in that moment.
Everyone's body is different in so many ways. Even bodies that look similar in size and shape on the outside can be quite different on the inside, in terms of the skeleton and fascia. So we should expect that my cobra pose will never look exactly the same as anyone else's cobra pose. Don't compare yourself to others. Don't try to make your physical poses perfect. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
Full disclosure here: I'm frequently susceptible to perfectionism, even though I try not to be. Sometimes I'm disappointed when I fall out of tree pose or can't hold an arm balance. Sometimes I'm very hard on myself when I make mistakes, like forgetting to send a required form into my son's school, or ruining a cake by leaving it in the oven too long, or losing my cool and yelling at my kids. The best I can do is not stay stuck in that mode of self-criticism and instead move toward restoring calm, peace and self-forgiveness.
Where do you find yourself slipping into perfectionism? Does it affect your work or family life? If you compare yourself to others in yoga class, does that serve your goals, especially goals like relaxation and peace of mind?
Yoga is not a competition. It's an exploration to learn about yourself, your breath and your body. As they say, it's yoga practice, not yoga perfect. How can you practice letting go of perfectionism in yoga and in life?