When was the last time you achieved perfection?
Hard to remember, right?
Life is a constant strive to do things better and to achieve more. Everything must be perfect, so you work hard and push yourself to get there. Still somehow, you never make it. There will always be something more you need to do or attain.
A better job
More money
Owning your own home
You’ll be familiar with the phrase practice makes perfect, but when it comes to yoga, what even is perfect?
Is it achieving an advanced posture?
Is it doing a 90 minute vinyasa practice every day?
Does it look like the contortion you see on Instagram?
Do you need to be wearing a matching set and using the best yoga mat around?
The short answer: No!
The longer answer: No, because your idea of yoga perfection doesn’t exist.
So what’s the point of even trying it?
The Westernized idea of perfection is a dangerous one to subscribe to. It’s an expectation that can create frustration, anxiety and a sense of failure when not achieved. It’s a goal that pushes you to work harder, and whilst goals are great motivators, once reached, the ceiling of perfection lifts higher as you work on your next challenge. So the journey continues.
Yoga is so much more than physical shapes, and ancient yogic philosophy teaches that there’s no real destination when it comes to your yoga journey. It’s called a practice for a reason - there is always something you can learn from it, both on and off the mat.
Your yoga teacher will never give you an A grade for achieving a particular pose. The A grade comes with attention and dedication to your practice, without attachment to an end result.
There’s no such thing as graduation when it comes to learning yoga, so it’s time to let go of perfection and embrace your practice for what it is - PRACTICE!
Tell me, what perfection have you pushed for in a yoga class? Does the idea of perfection still exist in your practice? What have you learnt from letting go of expectation? I’d love to know!
