I had a really fun class this morning! The room was full of energy and everything seemed to be flowing in the right direction. My body felt great. (Think is has anything to do with this challenge thingie?!) And I had a funny moment when I peeked in the mirror to check my arms in triangle pose. Out of the blue, I thought: "DAMN! I look GREAT!!"
Now, my point here isn't that I am super good looking - that's neither here nor there. My point is that it feels really good to suddenly see your body in the mirror and think, "Wow, look at what I'm doing. Is that really me? That's crazy!"
Yoga is supposed to teach you to love yourself. It's not supposed to feed your ego or teach you vanity, but it's supposed to teach you to genuinely love and appreciate yourself, the way you would love and appreciate a good friend. Since January 1st, I think it's safe to say that everyone has gone through changes, big or small, happening gradually or suddenly. And though the journey's not over yet - would you ever want it to really end? - it's wonderful to appreciate where we are and what we've accomplished.
Yoga teaches you to love yourself now. Perfection is not the goal. It's not even part of the equation. So when you peek in the mirror, see if you can notice the amazing things that have already happened. Don't wait to fall in love. You don't have to play that game. You know the game I mean, right? "It'll all be great when I lose 10 more pounds." "It'll all be great when I finish this project." "It'll all be great after I've done 22 more yoga classes." Forget that stuff! Don't wait for a different body, a different day, a different person. You're already there. And you look great.
(And if there are still changes that need to be made... well, that's fine! Because if you love yourself today, then you'll only want to do what's best for you tomorrow...)
Exquisitely Edited Existence.
1 week ago
6 comments:
"It's not supposed to feed your ego or teach you vanity"--nice! Cool, motivating post, J. Nothing wrong with appreciating changes in the physical appearance (for me, it was the arrival of the Bikram Butt that made me go WHOA, mama). It's all about perspective. :-)
I've been meaning to write a post about the other people in the room for ages, but it just hasn't fit in. I was inspired by BYC's yoga crush (love the concept). I've realised I've never seen a person in the studio who hasn't looked gorgeous.
Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for people who actively try to improve their life. But everyone in the room just glow with such grace, how can you fail see their true beauty?
It's true you also have to extend that to yourSelf. That's what all the eyes on yourself in the mirror is about isn't it?
The feeling when I first saw my foot peek up over my head in Standing Bow was a WOW feeling, I saw it, felt it, and then, but that is my foot, can I do that? Wow! and then fall out.
Yes! Thanks for the gorgeous comments. :)
you're striking a deep chord with me here, J. powerful stuff.
"Because if you love yourself today, then you'll only want to do what's best for you tomorrow...)" That's awesome.
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