I usually don’t talk that much about my yoga practice –
– if you consider 90 minutes of sweaty Bikram yoga once per week a “practice” – but something I saw in class recently has stuck in my head since.
It was a poster that simply said something like: “Be the best you can be today.”
One of my favorite instructors repeats this phrase during class too, and whenever she says it, I feel some sort of pressure lifted from my shoulders. Being a hardcore perfectionist, I go into each Sunday afternoon class wanting to nail each of the 26 Bikram postures, not fall out of them and execute perfectly. If I stagger, wobble or need to check my balance, I feel almost like I’ve failed and the class was a waste.
But what fun is yoga, or anything really, if you’re so hung up on being perfect and getting frustrated by tiny little mistakes? By worrying about getting my poses just right and beating myself up about it throughout the class if I didn’t, I had been missing out on the simple joy of yoga.
Both physically and mentally challenging, Bikram yoga gives me such a sense of calm and happiness when I let it. And when I think about it, this calm, meditative state comes over me whether I’ve nailed every pose or wobbled and stumbled my way through the entire class.
So I’ve been trying to take this mantra – to be the best I can today – with me not just in yoga class, but outside as well. Because like the simple joys of yoga, being a perfectionist crazy person tends to cause me to miss out on some things in life too.
Very slowly, I’m realizing that being the best I can on this day is what really matters, helps me adapt to whatever the day brings and takes the pressure off of wanting everything to be perfect all the time.
Like running, I love that yoga teaches us things about ourselves that we can take with us and actually make our lives better.
Time for a quick breakfast and it’s off to work. Happy Friday, all!
Question: Are you a yogi? And, how do you deal with perfectionist tendencies?
so glad that yoga is changing you in this way! it’s powerful stuff, huh? achieving perfection in yoga is impossible because you’re not competing against anyone but yourself, so you set the standard, which is so empowering. it’s a different kind of athletic competition that in the end you win, if you embrace it, which it seems you have. congrats! 🙂
happy friday lady!! thanks for the happy yoga vibes on a yucky morning!
“in the end you win, if you embrace it” – so true, my friend! Happy Friday 🙂
Yoga is the BEST!! And so funny you should mention this! The class I went to last week, the yoga instructor came over when I was getting annoyed at myself for not being able to do it properly, and told me just to RELAX and ENJOY it! Then when I tried again, I could do it! 😀
And that mantra is great- I love it 🙂
Have a GREAT Friday!! 😀
I’m not so much a yogi. I do it on occasion for the great stretch it provides, but other than that, it’s just another workout I never really got into…
Oh man, I totally err on the perfectionist side. If I’m going to run, I’m going to RUN. If I’m going to go for a bike ride, I’m going to race. I’m trying my best to just let myself slow down every once in awhile!
Don’t worry, I’m a perfectionist too! The mantra to be the best you can TODAY is something I should also start doing. I have tried to get into Yoga but have never gone to a studio…I’ve just done DVDs. My goal is to get to one soon, I think I would love it! 🙂 Happy Friday!!!!
i never got into yoga, but honeslty i wnt to keep trying!!! i think i would love bikram.. as tough as it sounds! im def a perfectionist but i have toned it down a lot.. once i got comfortable with myself.. it was so much easier to accept myself!
I’ve never done yoga before but I hear it’s quite the workout. It’s something I’d definitely try 🙂
I’m not sure what happened, but over the last few years I’ve become more of a Type B+ personality vs. a Type A personality. In certain ways I’m still a perfectionist, but I’ve also realized that you can get good results without over-stressing. I’m glad that you’ve been enjoying Bikram so much – I miss having yoga in my life. I need to go to a class ASAP!
i think i’m slowly shifting to a type B. but i’ve been fighting it. the part of me (which is still big!) that’s type A is trying to kick out that B hahah!
I’ve taken classes at Bikram Yoga NYC and thought I was going to die during one of them, but I really loved it. Every once in a while I really get into yoga (but only go once a week) then something happens and I just don’t do it for a while. I do like doing it but have a tough time pushing all the random thoughts from my head and really focusing on it. I also think it’s really expensive, but find the cheap/free classes like Yoga to the People or the Sunday classes at Lululemon.
Let me know if you want to borrow my copy of “The Long Run.” I’m more than happy to share when I finish reading it!
I thought I was going to die in my first Bikram class too 🙂 I may take you up on that book-borrowing offer, actually – it would great to meet you!
I love doing yoga and I love the class I go to because the instructor is so nice and always reminds us to just do our best and that there is no judgments in the room. It really helps me to recenter and refocus!
I like yoga but would not consider myself a yogi at all! I tried Gillian Michaels Meltdown Yoga video yesterday was was literally laughing at the comparisons between her “yoga” and relaxing yoga. I was actually sore this morning from it! No more laughing at Jillian I guess! As a fellow perfectionist I can appreciate trying to be the best you can be today, I’m trying to learn how to “handle my self-expectations.” A.k.a. not get insanely frustrated when i can’t be perfect and do everything I’d like to do in one day!
i REALLY want yoga to change my life. but i think i need to chill out hardcore before i try it again. i’m not very good at relaxing. so i avoid it. which makes it worse hahaha
BUT i live by that quote. this past month when my life was so hectic i’d tell myself that. sometimes it worked. sometimes it didn’t but it was a great reminder to just chill out
I dont’ think I practice consistently enough to call myself a yogi, but there is a part of me that really loves yoga. I’ve definitely thought about this issue you’re talking about – wanting to get the poses and do it “right”, but at the same time embodying the larger concepts behind yoga (self-acceptance, being in the moment, being more concerned about the process than the outcome, etc. When I’m practicing and find myself getting frustrated, I take deep breaths and remind myself that its okay to struggle, and if I stop fighting it I will probably get to where I want to be much faster.
Great post, Kelly! I love yoga because it parallels so many aspects of life so well and the concepts I pick up in class carry over to my life.
kelly, i LOVE this post and i love that you’re coming to this realization. yoga is not in any way about perfectionism – i think that’s why we call it a “practice,” because it’s a time to try, not to perform. “try” inherently means sometimes you succeed and sometimes you fail. the point is that you put forth the effort, you showed up, you gave what you could on that day. we’ve got to take a class together sometime!
i’ve also learned so much about how to handle life from my time on the mat – whether it’s the amount i can challenge myself, the fact that i sometimes have to slow down, or the fact that i am imperfect. i love that yoga teaches us those lessons, and i’m so glad that it’s teaching you to be less hard on yourself. as a (mostly) reformed perfectionist, i can promise that life on the other side is a lot nicer to live!
wish you could make it tonight!
I love this comment 🙂 thanks lady – have fun tonight!!!
If you go you practice in my opinion! I’ve still never been. Need to work on that. Also are you coming to Boston for the marathon? Oh and becky and I signed up for a 10k june 11 in ny…you should too!
This is such a great mantra and a wonderful outlook for life. I fall into the perfectionist trap all too often too, and it’s only in recent years that I’ve learned to give myself a break (though I’m still my own biggest critic). I think this mantra is a wonderful reminder that as long as I’m doing my best, I should be proud of myself. And I think some days my best might look better than others, but it’s okay to cut yourself a little slack now and then.
I really would like to get more into yoga. I keep saying I’m going to do it, but then get too focused on running. Now that the marathon is over, I think it’s time to re-commit!
I don’t do yoga very often, but I’ve read about the correlation between yoga and reduced running injuries- sounds like what I need! I don’t get injured often, but I want to minimize my chances 🙂
I used to feel the same way, but it would just frustrate me for the rest of the class. Now, I just laugh at myself if I fall out and try it again. Either way, the yoga glow always comes over me!
I keep trying to get back into it….hasnt stuck yet.
What perfectionist tendencies? 🙂
I used to practise yoga regularly with a friend that is far beyond my capabilities and I ALWAYS used to compare myself to her. But it wasn’t fun, so I started going solo and enjoying it, now I don’t care if I go with her or anyone else I just pretend I am the only one in the room and really savour the experience!
I rarely do yoga, but love it when I do!
I’ve been dying to try bikram!
I’m pretty much completely type A. I was much worse in college, but have gotten much calmer in medical school. When I have so much stuff to do, as I have the past few years, I always try to focus on doing the best I can do with what I have that day. For school, I’ve gotten it pretty much down to a science and one bad test doesn’t send me into an orbit like it used to. Plus, I’ve been in school so long now I’ve somewhat stopped caring about grades and more about learning (revolutionary, huh?). With anything else (eg: running), I’m still pretty perfectionistic ie: missing a day on my “schedule” gets me pretty anxious and nervous that it will “throw everything off” (which I know it doesn’t, but I can’t help myself.) I’m working on it, for sure.
PS: how did you pick the Eugene Marathon being from NYC? Just curious!
Mmm your breakfast looks SO good! I’m a sucker for berries, though 😀
I used to be a total perfectionist but i’ve grown out of it a bit!
I am not a yogi, but have decided that after Boston, yoga will become part of my life. I wanna give it a real shot!
I think Sofia’s comment perfectly outlines how I feel about my yoga practice… it’s one of the few places where I feel there is never any competition. Sometimes not even within myself and that makes it feel so much more special. I’m there for myself, in myself and whatever comes of the session is what I put into it and what I’m looking to get out.
So very glad to hear bikram has enhanced your thoughts and feelings, it’s magical!