Prior to moving back to Chicago, I had been practicing yoga for about two years, so I considered myself an active yogini, comfortable with my practice; however, as soon as I started practicing in the city, my initial thought was 'wow, I'm so far behind the rest of the students here.' At my old studio we did some work on bakasana and salamba sirsasana but arm balances and more challenging inversions didn't make a regular appearance in my classes. So, when I took my first level 1-3 class in the city, all I could think about was what I couldn't do.
I've just started teaching at work and the other day when I asked a student of mine, who has had to miss a couple of classes, if I would be seeing her in class that evening, she said no, she felt too far behind, the first thing to come to mind was, well, that's silly, yoga is all about the journey! But then as I thought about it some more I realized I had the same misgivings and those were after practicing regularly for two years!
It reminded how important it is to regularly stress to students of yoga - new and old alike - that it isn't about perfecting a pose or comparing yourself to the person next to you; rather it's all about where you are in your journey. Understanding and accepting that fact can be particularly difficult for those of us who are always striving for perfection in other areas of our lives. It's humbling, really, but it's also incredibly rewarding to watch your path unfold.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment