Sometimes I hear students say they don’t do a particular yoga pose well or good and, I remind them that they are exactly where they are supposed to be, as their body allows, in that moment. Sure, being mindful of correct alignment is important but, how far you go into a pose does not translate to doing it good or bad. In a yoga class I really like to eliminate words of judgment as it relates to anyone’s yoga practice. One of the most effective life lessons I gain from yoga is eliminating the element of comparison, which really is the basis for most of our judging. If I see a photo in Yoga Journal of someone getting into dancer’s pose, with their back arched beautifully and their toe almost grazing their head, I admire how THEIR body looks in dancer’s pose. My toe in dancer’s pose nowhere approaches the crown of my head but, my body is still experiencing the benefits of balancing, focusing, opening and lengthening. I’m rockin’ MY dancer’s pose because I’m being mindful, aware and letting it be what it is, in that moment.

To really do the yoga, accept your body where it lands. As you inhale, breathe in compassion, exhale resistance, then hold the pose or transition further or back off; all the while thinking “it is what it is.” No judgment. No criticism. No comparing. No negativity. When you are mindful of your body, thoughts, and emotions in a pose, then you’re rockin’ your yoga poses perfectly.

Have a free and easy Labor Day weekend my yogi friends…namaste,
Amelia