Yoga classes can be intimidating, but I am here to say, there is no such thing as being "good" at yoga. Well, at least, that's what I believe to be true.
For the past two weeks, I have been thinking a lot about letting go of comparison as a means of truly growing in my own practice, both on and off the mat. During a difficult posture in a class, the instructor simply said, "Let go of comparison." It was such a small statement, but it has stuck with me. In a class setting, it is easy to let your mind (and eyes) stray and think things like, "Their dancer's pose is better than mine," or "Why haven't I been able to reach the same variation of the pose as my friend?" Comparison takes away from celebrating what you can do, what you have done, and what you will do.
As cheesy as this sounds, one of my teacher training instructors always says, "You're exactly where you are supposed to be." This! This is so true! This does not mean that you should be complacent and just let life happen, but it means that you are progressing at exactly the pace that is right for you. There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve or move faster towards your goals, however I encourage you to examine why you might be feeling that way.
We should be kind to ourselves and practice non-harming in the way we speak to ourselves and about ourselves. Yoga is a never-ending practice and offers infinite paths of growth. So, no, there is no such thing as being "good" at yoga. If there is a good, then there must be a bad, but when we let go of comparison, distracting value statements fall to the wayside. I think we often confuse being honest with being harsh; I've recently taken to being honest and kind -- it's really a game changer for the ol' mindset.
When we stay in our lane and are unconcerned with how others are progressing through their posture, career, personal relationship, education, and any other aspect of life, we can more clearly see what's ahead on our own path. We are free to celebrate others and ourselves. We can take on an abundance mindset and see that there is enough space for everyone, including ourselves, to succeed.
So, if you're looking for an intention for your day, week, month, I offer the intention of letting go of comparison.
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