Don’t be Perfect, Be Enough

Usually at some point during my week, my inspiration for the next week strikes. I have realized that the more present I am in the moment, the more often it comes. There are weeks where inspiration is hitting me from all sides and then there was LAST week.

I was looking and searching but I was still very sad at the loss of my dog and not as present as I needed to be for inspiration to strike. What I started to find instead was judgment of myself and self doubt. I was getting angry at myself for not being connected enough for inspiration. So, I stepped on my mat and began to breathe. My body and mind were quite exhausted and I didn’t have the mental or physical energy for much more. So as I sat still and breathed, I began to feel some of the judgment release and I remembered a picture that a Yogi friend of mine had posted recently. She had written a quote in sharpie pen on the palm of her hand and took a photo of it. “I’m imperfect, I’m enough” And there it was.

So I asked my students last week to remind themselves that its not about being perfect…on or off the mat. It is called a PRACTICE for a reason. We are not looking for perfection, just a perfect practice. A practice where we can find acceptance and gratitude for what is available on the mat and off; to always remember that We are Enough.

We cultivated sphinx pose (a version of cobra with elbows bent and forearms pressing into the mat) throughout the practice as a reminder to keep the heart open. That is where our acceptance lives, in our hearts. As we flowed and breathed, I offered reminders that we weren’t looking for perfection, I asked them to not look around at other people’s poses, instead to go inside and remind themselves that they were ENOUGH.

As we rested in Savasana, I again asked them to repeat the quote to themselves. “I’m imperfect, I’m enough” and let the judgment and self doubt leave their minds as it left their bodies.

When we sealed our practice with Namaste, I smiled. I too felt like Enough…..Not Perfect but Enough all the same. Thanks for the inspiration Donna. Namaste.