REFLECTIONS

The theme of a recent class at Yoga Pod had to do with reflecting—reflecting upon one’s own thoughts. It was funny to me because I was having a tough time getting my thoughts into the room at all, much less engaging with them in a meaningful way. I was also having a tough time with my reflection, ironically, picking out each flaw and assigning some cruel adjectives. It got so bad that I had to force myself to find something positive about my appearance (I settled, sadly, for admiring the color of the stripe on my yoga pants).

Honestly, the class was not my best—far from it. With three poses till savasana, I had to leave the room. I spent the first minute fighting tears, so furious with myself that I couldn’t stick it out. Then I went into the locker room, sat down and did something I don’t do often enough. I forgave myself.

Perfection, it turns out, is not only overrated, it’s unachievable. I wouldn’t judge anyone else for leaving a class early or having—gasp—a muffin top. It’s time to stop judging myself. The resulting feeling is absolutely not conducive to transformation. It’s conducive to wound-nursing quesadillas or chocolate, maybe, but that hasn’t solved a lot for me so far. Go figure.

And I thought the whole idea of reflecting was funny. Ha!

– Cheryl Hansen