There is not such a thing as perfection. Perfection is an idea in our minds, it is an expectation that can create frustration and anxiety when not achieved, it is a goal that can make us work harder to achieve a certain thing, but at the end, when achieved, there will be another goal, another dream, something else we could "perfect"...
While it feels good to achieve certain things and goals, it is all about enjoying the process and acknowledging with gratefulness where we are in this exact precious moment <3The first photo is from 2008, I had been practicing yoga on and off for a year, and I was really happy to be able to grab my leg with one arm ... Second photo was 3 years ago, after a more conscious and continuous yoga practice
At the beginning of my practice I just wanted to do the postures well, I was interested mainly in the asana practice more than anything else, I would push myself without much awareness of what was happening with my breath and my body, it took me a while to start to listen to my body and breath cues, even though I was already trying to live mindfully before I started practicing yoga, I did not feel this sense of awareness as much while I practiced, it was meditation what allowed me to apply breath awareness and mindfulness in my yoga practice, in this way meditation is and was and is one of my greatest teachers...
I realised that what "goes on" while we practice (practicing with awareness, noticing our breath and sensations, fully in the present moment VS getting carried away by thoughts while we practice), what make the whole experience of yoga unique and life changing ॐ
My biggest satisfaction lies in Breathing, in closing my eyes and finding stillness... in finding expansion when I move, in not thinking and just surrendering to sensations, in accepting and acknowledging when I need to take a pause and reset...
Once I built discipline, awareness and focus, I was more able to access my internal energy (we all have it!) and use it during my practice.
No matter what style of yoga I practice, whatever I do, I bring all of my attention to my breath and to what's happening in my body while I practice
I have let go of the attachment to try so hard to achieve postures, they all come at the right time, when we are ready for them
From time to time I try to practice more challenging postures when I'm inspired but I do so without the expectation of actually getting them.
And to my astonishment, I have more effortlessly been able to tap into postures I didn't know I could do... and the greatest achievement is not how it looks, but how good it feels to be able to breathe normally in the challenge (in yoga or in real life) and to heighten our awareness of sensations and emotions
Once we drop expectations of the fruits of our actions, we can begin to see results, it is better to do things for the enjoyment of them rather than for the results we want from the actions we do. When we start comparing the way I look (or a posture looks) to someone else's, we will fail to experience what truly matters. The fact that I am unique and it's not about being "capable/beautiful" like someone else. It is about being "capable/beautiful" like yourself!
My advice is to enjoy your own journey every step of the way, while it feels good to get into certain postures, the "goal" is not the actual physical expression of it, but how present it makes you feel , as in being present we have a little indescribable sense of freedom, aim for progress in your sense of presence, working with your breath cues, and all else will come with it <3
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it =)
Love & light,
Amor