Perfectionism On & Off the Yoga Mat
Do you want to do better on yoga mats? Maybe you have seen an impressive peacock posture on Instagram, and it is shameful that your posture does not look so elegant? Well, I know that feeling; I have been there, too.
But listen carefully. Contrary to popular belief, yoga is not about how flexible you are, your cute leggings, or your ability to stand with one hand.
Everyone’s body is different. In an ideal world, every posture will be specially designated to suit each body. For example, my special hip shape will never keep me in a safe lotus posture, even after practicing yoga for more than 20 years. At present, my massage practice has taken away everything from my wrist, leaving nothing else to balance my arms.
However, even though I know the limitations of my body, I sometimes feel the pressure of being regarded as a “perfect yogi”. I am eager to fold my legs into peanut rolls and put them on my hands to pose as crows, because these big and glorious poses are the most displayed in our modern yoga world.
In 2016, in the United States alone, yoga was a $16 billion industry. The gaudy images of yoga postures are used to sell everything from cars to toilet paper to beer. Although it takes no physical strength to keep yoga practice, the clothes and equipment we sell cost hundreds of dollars. Don’t even make me start crazy yoga sexualization.
It’s time to stop this absurdity and remember the true meaning of yoga.
Perfectionism is like a disease. It is contagious and contagious. When we succumb to perfectionism, we believe our own personal account of being broken. It reinforces stories that we all tell ourselves are not good enough.
Yoga classroom is not the place of this perfectionist disease. This is a place to reunite with our breath, so that the remnants of the past and attention to the future can melt away, so as to connect with the present and the present moment. In yoga, we cultivate gratitude for the simple and profound gift of living.
Please let go of the pressure of perfectionism. Make your yoga practice-whether on the mat or under the mat-a place where you can remember that you are complete, sacred, sacred and “perfect”.