The saying usually goes “Practice Makes Perfect”. But I went ahead and threw that old ideology out the window for you. (You’re welcome.)
Progress is the new perfect.
I came to the above realization as I was in a yoga class this week. I haven’t attended an actual class in studio for an absurd amount of time and I was trying to get into a ridiculous pose that I could achieve last year…but hello- no practice, no pose….duh. But still I beat myself up about it.
So… whether you’re scrolling through your favorite yogi’s Instagram feed or currently struggling in a downward dog pose, one thing’s the same: You’re constantly being surrounded by picture-perfect yoga poses, heck perfect homes, lives etc etc. And with that—whether you realize it or not—comes the feeling of having to work on your own practice (or life) until you meet those standards.
The idea of mastering every pose can be incredibly intimidating and unrealistic for many of us. In fact, I’m a certified yoga instructor and I can’t do it all. Sometimes practice isn’t perfect and that is totally okay.
Sometimes, you just want to – scratch that – NEED to, open your hips or stretch your spine. Maybe your elbows and shoulders aren’t in line during your chaturanga. Or you let your hips go all willy nilly in three-legged dog because it feels damn good. You do weird movements that aren’t ‘yoga poses,’ or you wobble and fall out of your headstand. Maybe your yoga is just moving, maybe it’s wiggling your booty to the music—no expectations or criteria. Just doing everything that feels good. Dude, just do YOUR yoga.
What really matters at the end of the day is that what you’re doing feels good, both physically and mentally. And that you’re doing it, period—not how well you’re doing it. That might mean you’re not doing perfect poses that get all the likes, but instead doing a flow of movements that works for you.
So grab your mat and join us tomorrow for a feel-good flow, going at your own pace and in your own style. When you stop caring about every little detail and start focusing on the reason why you’re doing it in the first place, it changes everything.
And really isn’t that true about everything in life?