You do Not Need to be Fixed

10/15/12

          Recently, I did my first (brief) asana practice since Sydonia was born. It was purposefully slow and deliberate. I needed to assess what my abilities have become. The thought that occurred to me while breathing was “There’s nothing about yourself that needs to be fixed.” It’s easy to get caught up in the self improvement mentality of yoga. Especially when you are feeling vulnerable and out of touch with yourself, whether it be physical body or mental processes. While it is important to be honest with yourself about the level of your ability, it is equally important not to compare that ability. Only you can decide what is appropriate for you. If you start watching people around you with the intention of being like them or better than them, you will set yourself up to be insecure.

Validate your own self worth from within instead of relying on validation from others. There is nothing wrong with you. You simply require attention. Being aware of yourself and the reason behind your thoughts and actions will allow you to act as opposed to react. You will choose actions that are appropriate for you and the situation, instead of what may be imposed upon you by some societal standard or what may be a habit of your personality from years of conditioning.

If you can be confident of yourself and your abilities, you won’t need to rely on the fleeting opinions of others. Positive or negative, the opinions of others will hold less sway when you take the time to reaffirm what you already know: that you are a capable individual who deserves good in your life.

            So practice a positive and honest inner monologue. Move slowly enough to examine your range of motion with out the risk of injury from over reaching. Don’t let your practice be another way to enforce your habitual way of thinking. Don’t use your practice as a platform to prove anything to yourself. Be open and watch. As you practice yoga or even as you move through your day, listen to the tone of voice you habitually address yourself with. Make sure that you don’t tear yourself down. There are enough people in the world willing to tear you down to temporarily feel better about themselves. Take time to pay attention enough to yourself to gradually shift your thoughts from negative to positive and uplifting.