Letting Go of Imperfections

I'm not perfect, shocking I know, but I bet you aren't either. Truth be told, none of us are but for some reason we all strive for it. How we look, what we do and the money we make are typically out there on display to be judged by the whole world...or is it? How much of who we are and what we do is done simply for an impression to be made on others? How many of the great ideas in the world would have gone undiscovered if we were all alike?

I've never been that person who did something because it was the thing to do. I always found it a bit annoying mostly because I didn't understand why the thing was being done in the first place. I also don't like to feel uncomfortable (never did the skinny jeans thing for that reason). I'm not saying that I've never felt like I needed to improve on something because I was afraid of being judged, I am human after all, but I've learned over the years that what matters more than impressing others, is impressing myself.

Many people will find themselves in an unhappy spot because they've been so busy making themselves look good to others, that they've lost touch with what they really want. It's like that click in high school, where we all wore our hair in a ridiculous style because some random cool kid was bored one day and came up with a style that borderlined insane (the 90's). How much thought do you really put into what you wear, the work you do or the things you buy? If you practice yoga are you in a class that's right for you or are you doing what's popular despite what it might be doing to your body?

The pressure to fit in is present in yoga. Yoga's popularity over the years has soared, especially styles like power and vinyasa yoga. I love both of these practices, but they aren't suitable for everyone. I've seen so many students try and stick with this practice and trash their bodies in the process all to fit in with what's cool. Just because that crazy bendy girl in class can do an arm balance with her legs in lotus doesn't mean you should. Let's be practical people.

Yoga teaches us to let go of our egos. To let go of the things that we hate the most about ourselves and be ok with them. Why are we so worried about others judging us but have no trouble judging ourselves? We're our own worst critic. We'll change in an instant for someone else but won't do that for ourselves. Why is that?

The moral of the story? Be comfortable in your own skin. Be happy with all the choices that you make in your daily life. When you're choosing to do or buy something, make sure you're choosing it for you and not to impress someone else. The happiness of the life you live is dependent on choices you make daily. Check the tone and criticism of the voice in your head. Is it you that's speaking or someone else? Perhaps it's a parent or friend. There are lots of people in our lives who think they know what's best for us, have told us we aren't good enough or don't look perfect. The only person who can be a good judge of that is you.

Learning to let go of our imperfections and embracing them isn't easy and it takes time. Most often people don't even notice these things, but we blow them up in our mind and we think they're out there for the whole world to see (like that grey hair that just keeps popping up). Take some time to meditate on what you consider an imperfection. Investigate if other people see this as well or if it's just you. Picture what your life would be like without this imperfection. Perhaps come up with ways to turn it into something great or fix it so it isn't an issue for you anymore. Wishing something isn't there isn't the same as facing it and fixing it. Look your imperfections in the eye and deal with and accept them. It's similar to talking about the elephant in the room. Maybe that elephant will never be gone from your life, but you at least can learn to get comfortable with it.

Yoga teaches us that we can work with imperfection. Some poses for us will never be attainable and we have to learn to be ok with that. Perhaps you have an injury that your body won't ever heal from. You have to accept that and adapt your practice. The same is true in life. Accept and adapt. Don't judge and wallow. Life is too short for that. Do you really think when we're 80 we're going to care about something that seems so important in our 20's and 30's? Think about the things in your life that really do matter and focus on those. Life is just too short to worry about anything else.