Mirror, mirror on the wall?

One of the first things we did when we took over the space that is now Sanctuary Power Yoga (http://www.sanctuarypoweryoga.com/), was to take down mirrors that lined two walls.  Since opening, I have quite a few people (people who had been in the space before) ask me why I took them down.

For me, this yoga practice is about feeling.  When you're on mat - feeling your breath move through your body.  Feeling your feet firmly planted on the ground.  Feeling if you need rest.  Noticing how a pose feels in your body.  Feeling yourself in the flow, in the moment.  And most important to me - feeling if its right for you.

Mirrors can be useful, but they're also distracting.  Our attention is drawn to how we look.  How other people look.  How we compare to other people.  Does our body look right in a pose? 

 I often tell students, it doesn't matter how a pose looks, it's how it feels.  Even if you're new to yoga, if it feels right for you - go with it.  It doesn't have to look a certain way.  It doesn't have to look like the pictures in the yoga magazines.  It just has to feel right.  And you have to learn to trust that.
 
Learn to trust what you feel on your mat - what you feel in your body & your heart & your spirit.  And then you can learn to trust that in your life.  Your life doesn't have to look a certain way.  It doesn't have to look like anyone else's life.  If it feels right for you - trust that.

Perfect

This blog is about taking my yoga off the mat.  For yoga on your mat with me, visit my studio, Sanctuary Power Yoga, in Torrington, CT: http://www.sanctuarypoweryoga.com/  & find us on Facebook.

I use the word "perfect" alot...

"we don't have cream, is milk ok?"
 "perfect"
"do you need a cast iron skillet, or will this do?"
"perfect"

My sister-in-law told me she liked the sound of it so much, she started using it in her business as a realtor
"we'd like to meet you at 2pm instead of 3pm"
"perfect"

I'm not sure where I picked it up or when I started I using it, but it works for me.  Sometimes I even catch myself saying it when I'm talking to myself!

But today I began thinking about how I have heard other people use it. 
"he has the perfect life"
"she has the perfect body"
"I want everything to be perfect when they get here"

What does it really mean?  "perfect"
I couldn't help myself...I checked the dictionary.
"exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose" This is how I use the word.  When something works just right for me.  When it flows & fits, in that moment.

But it also said "entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings"  This is how I have heard it used.  But really, what does that mean?  We all have flaws, shortcomings, and yes, even defects.  Sometimes you can see them, sometimes you can't.  And when you create the expectation for something to be perfect in this sense, I can help but think your setting yourself up for disappointment. Because there will be flaws or defects.  Sometimes we even create them in our minds just to find something wrong with the way things are.

Its not that I don't believe in "perfect" - I believe in "perfect" in the moment.  And in relishing that sense of how it feels to find just what you need, just when you need.  Not in trying to create something perfect, but in allowing perfect to occur. 

Finding the parking you need just in time.  Finding just the time you need to practice.  Finishing your blog just in time for bed.

 Perfect.