The Perfect Pose:

How many of us have seen the pictures online, in magazines, on social media of a perfectly formed yoga pose (asana) by someone who looks graceful and slender? While there is nothing wrong with those people, or how limber they are, most of us will never be able to look like that.

Every body is literally built differently. It may seem pretty straightforward… (the hip bone's connected to the thigh bone...the thigh bone's connected to the knee bone.........sing it with me y'all!)… but just like everyone looks a little bit different on the outside, we all look different on the inside too. I'm not talking about our personalities, either. Bone structure, length, placement can be different, as can muscles, tendons, veins, organs, you name it! Besides our natural born differences, every person has led a different life, having differing trauma and injuries. No two people are ever in exactly the same asana because we each make the pose our own.

Yoga is more than a physical practice, as I've said before, but even within the physical asanas, it's still a very personal journey. While you a may have already guessed what I'm about to say, there is no perfect pose. The pose is a tool, a journey. It's not about being “perfect”, it's about learning about yourself, growth, working through the discomfort an getting to the root of it.

I keep saying, “yoga meets you where you are”. That's something you'll be hearing over and over, for forever, from me. Yoga has been there for me when I was at my worst, and when I was at my best. It is a constant help, whether my body looks good doing it or not.

There is a reason we say our yoga “practice”. It is a practice, a constant, not a destination. None of us will ever master yoga, that's the beauty of it. There's always more to discover. We are all complicated, multi-faceted individuals with unlimited potential. The limbs of yoga, including the physical poses, are simply a tool to help us reach our never ending potential.

I went to school to become a certified teacher of yoga and I'm registered with the national Yoga Alliance. I cannot get into every pose to its full extent. I do not know even half of what there is to discover. I fall out of poses, screw up in life, get stressed, and make mistakes. I'm real and so are you. This is real life. We all just do the best we can. Failure promotes growth. Being uncomfortable promotes change. Enjoy the process and be the you-est you you can be!

So don't worry about looking like any one else. Just do your best, use props or variations to make the most of the pose for your unique body and circumstances. Listen to what your body and mind are telling you during your practice. Judgment has no place on the mat, so leave it in the courtrooms where it belongs.