Do you remember high school? You know all the groups, the judging, the low self confidence, and lots of comparing. Well, sometimes I catch myself right back there. Recently I was flipping through a book that was full of amazing yoga poses. These yogis were trying things I’d never heard of and instantly I felt myself comparing my skills to theirs. I got out my mat, and went through the first dozen poses trying to hit each one, and not being able to. I then felt inadequate and started having thoughts like, “who do I think I am to make yoga dvd’s?” and “Why would anyone want to listen to me, when I can’t even do these poses?”. Well, after my pity party, I read some of the text in this book and it reminded me of one of the main threads of yoga- being true to oneself.

As yoga has gotten more popularized in the west, it has also gained more postures. Terrific poses brought from other sports like gymnastics and ballet. With these postures, the physical emphasis of yoga became more pronounced and the inherit human nature to compete with others was brought into the yoga class room. Well, this is exactly what is not intended to happen with yoga. In fact in many studios you will not find mirrors on the walls, so you cannot compare yourself with the peers in the room. When I teach I tell my students to pay attention to how you feel and not what is going on at the mat next door. I have even found myself turning around during a class and doing a pose away from the rest of the group so I can focus better on my own breathing and postures. I must have forgotten the strength of this lesson.

I am going to make a pact with myself to try and remember the importance of each person’s uniqueness, and not let myself get down for not measuring up to other “yoga Jones’”. So I wanted to share this lesson with you all. I think it is a good one that we can take with us not only in our yoga practice, but also in our lives off the mat.