I'm not very good at yoga...

I regularly hear people either judge themselves ("I'm not very good at yoga") or judge different kinds of yoga ("physical yoga is no yoga"). And both of these make me wonder why we have this never ending need for judgement....

I confess, I'm a bit of a hoarder of definitions of what yoga is and one of my favourites is:

"Yoga is an unending process of self-discovery and self-transformation through the process of observing oneself without judgement"

Oh I love this! Yes this process is never ending and yes is is without judgement! So no we can never be 'good' at yoga, because being 'good' at yoga would mean that we have reached our destination, instead it's all about the path we're traveling. So the only thing we can do is get better at it...

Ok, ok, yes I know what people mean when they say they're not good at yoga; they mean they might be tight in some areas, or not as strong as they'd like to be, or maybe that their mind goes all over the place when they're on their mat, or perhaps that they always fall asleep in Savasana, or that they struggle to meditate, or can't regulate their breath. Hey, I think, that's so cool because you are clearly on the yogic path of self-discovery and you're clearly getting better!

So then let's look at all these amazing ways we have at our disposal to help us on this path! Meditation, Pranayama, Asana, Silent retreats, Cleansing programs, ... A wealth of knowledge all available to us, download an App or book your class or retreat online. Isn't it just amazing! If you're a person that likes depth, find a austere path. If you're someone who treads lightly through life, find a path that gives you joy. Keep your mind open, the yogic journey you're on today might lead you to another yogic journey tomorrow. Use what suits you now, and understand that tomorrow is another day...

Let's be honest, it's hard enough to find your own path (as Joseph Campbell says "If the path before you in clear, you're probably on someone else's"). We have different things happening and are at different stages. So instead of finding judgement let's just carry each other and share what we have.