Yoga and Meditation Practices Don’t Need to be Perfect
And that’s completely okay
When you think about practicing yoga or meditation, you might have an ideal picture about what it “should” be like, or what you “should” feel like. You might think that you need to practice for a certain length of time for it to be “worth it.” The beauty of yoga and meditation is there is no “should,” and any amount of time on your mat, even just a few minutes, will shift how you feel.
What matters most is your intention. Yoga and meditation are two practices where your main goal is to meet yourself where you are. Whether you feel stressed or relaxed, high energy or low, you can step on the mat and get to know your mind and heart.
Some days are tough and when I step on the mat to practice I feel scattered. By the time I leave, I feel grounded and reconnected to myself. There are days when my mind is racing a mile a minute. Sometimes I sit in meditation and notice the racing. Other days I move and breathe first, then sit once I’ve gotten back into my body and out of my head.
Yoga is not about having an “Instagram worthy” pose, body, or practice. Sometimes time on the mat is messy, both mentally and physically. Sometimes it’s a joy, other times, a slog. In my 30 years of practicing, I have never regretted my time spent on the mat. I have always learned something that I’ve taken with me into my life.
There is no perfect
During my journey through perfectionism, there were many times I chose not to practice yoga because “I didn’t have enough time.” In my mind, anything less than an hour was not even worth it. What I have come to realize is that any amount of time on the mat is worth it. 15 minutes of yoga is better than no minutes of yoga in terms of how I benefit.
15 minutes of Sun Salutations gets me to move, breathe, and sometimes even sweat! I connect my mind to my body, my breaths to my movements, and leave the mat feeling better than before. My mind is clearer, my muscles are looser and more relaxed, and I can take on the day with a more positive attitude.
There is no “right” or “perfect” amount of time to practice. What matters is that you get on your mat. Some days I practice for an hour, other days 10-20 minutes is all I have. Neither practice is better or worse, they both give me what I need: time to connect to myself.
Yoga allows you to be exactly as you are. Your body is a yoga body because you practice yoga with it. I often practice in my pajamas or my underwear because I roll out of bed and get on my mat. I don’t need to wear “yoga clothes” to practice yoga. As long as I am comfortable and my clothes move well, I can practice.
Embracing the messy
Many years ago I practiced in a studio where the other students were perfectly coiffed, wearing makeup and high end yoga clothes. I was in my ribbed tank top, sports bra and swishy pants from Target. By the end of the hot yoga class, I was dripping in sweat with my hair falling out of my ponytail. These women looked just as perfect as they were at the start of class. Did they just take the same class that I did?!
I felt out of place in my messiness, like I somehow didn’t belong. Although I had been practicing yoga for many years and knew what I was doing on the mat, I often left judging myself for somehow not looking right or worrying about being judged by the other women.
Letting go of that judgement, which was all mine and not theirs, freed me up to show up in that class and keep my mind on my mat. It didn’t matter what anyone else was doing, this was my practice and I allowed myself to be the person that I am. How I look on the outside is no indication of what my practice is like on the inside, and it’s the inside that matters.
Shifting your mindset
Letting go of the idea that there is one “right way” to practice frees you up to be in your practice, just as it is. Maybe you get in 50 poses, or maybe you only do 3. Both are valid, as long as you are present and breathing.
- What if yoga could be simply standing on your mat, feeling your feet on the floor, and breathing through your nose? Because it is.
- What if you could adapt your practice to the body that you have, rather than adapting your body to the practice? This is the ideal.
- What if you could experience your yoga practice and feel what your body is doing from the inside rather than worrying about it looking “right?” That’s the goal.
Yoga is a practice, not a perfect, and there is no one way to practice. You don’t need special clothes or equipment, you just need you.
What is holding you back from stepping on your mat? Chances are, it’s your mind holding onto beliefs that don’t serve you. What if you spend 1 minute, right now, in Downward Dog, on the floor, in a chair, or against a wall? Take that minute and breathe in and out through your nose while holding your version of Downward Dog (see the article below for guidance).
Ask a Yoga Teacher: Downward Facing Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana
Notice how you feel and ask yourself if that was a minute well spent.
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