Let Yourself be Average
Learning to enjoy life and let go of perfectionism
“In today’s rush, we all think too much — seek too much — want too much — and forget about the joy of just being.”
— Eckhart Tolle
I am 100% average at Yoga. And that’s okay.
As part of the online yoga community, I see a lot of my fellow practitioners posting videos of themselves doing their favourite routines and poses. It’s inspiring and somewhat intimidating to see how fluid their motions are, how strong they look, how cute their yoga outfits are (note: most of these people are women).
Out of curiosity, I recorded myself doing a half-hour yoga routine because I wanted to see what I look like doing yoga.
Aside from the fact that I was using my phone and wide-angle lenses are not kind, I noticed that my idea of what I looked like doing yoga was vastly different from what I actually looked like. Poses I thought I held well didn’t look nearly as polished, my legs didn’t straighten in forward folds — though I knew that already, and my movements weren’t nearly as effortless and fluid as others.
My first thought was: Oh god, that’s what I look like? Yikes.
But then I stopped. And I reflected for a moment before continuing the negative self-talk that was inevitably going to follow.
So what if I didn’t look exactly like all of the Instagram yogis? I enjoy my practice and I find meaning in moving my body this way. It feels good and I’ve gained so much strength.
Those are the things I could be focused on. Not the fact that the camera on my phone made me look 50lbs heavier. My body is amazing and I’m so grateful that it allows me to move the way it does. Even with a little pudge and thighs that could suffocate someone.
Yoga isn’t my job, it’s for pure enjoyment. So why am I treating it like a competition?
I think our culture is a little stuck on being the best at everything. No matter what. Any hobby you have, whether it’s painting or knitting or basket weaving or making model airplanes, what’s the point if…
