Sunday, August 14, 2011

...And the German Judge Gives a 7.5 (Not perfect because of the dismount!)

Oh...those judges! Always finding fault. In fact, they get paid to find fault. Problem is...there are a lot of non-paid judges out there finding fault...sometimes that judge is YOU...and you're finding fault with YOU!

It's a vicious world out there. Between keeping up with the Jone's and trying to stay in-touch or at least up to speed with the latest trends, its no wonder we constantly judge ourselves. This judgment often comes to our yoga mats. I've been victim of it. My favorite example is when I first met my friend Lacy who was around 8 months pregnant. She was leading a class and I was totally showing off the entire time. Towards the end she entered into Ardha Chandrasana, Half Moon Pose. I'd never seen this pose before...and figured if a pregnant lady could do it...so could I. I crashed right to the floor. I got right back up and tried it again with the same results. Mind you...I'm a big dude. When I fall...it is loud! It was a very humbling experience and a perfect example of judging!

I instantly judged Lacy as a pseudo-capable person do to the fact that she was pregnant. I knew I was a stud, since I had just returned from a trip to Iraq where I was working out 2-3 times a day. The problem is two fold. 1) Lacy is a yoga goddess who has been practicing yoga for many years, to include Ardha Chandrasana. 2) I on the other had never practiced, let alone seen this pose and was full of the "look at me" mentality.

Our yoga mats should never be a place of judgment, rather a place of self-reflection. Lacy has a great way of explaining the power of a yoga mat by calling them a place that is "home" no matter where it may be. Think about that for awhile. One of my yoga teachers here Jennilee Toner explains it best when it comes to not judging on our mats; "There is no such thing as a perfect pose, only a perfect pose for you." In radio, my friend Bill Hickman says, "There is no right or wrong in radio...only what works and doesn't work!"

Anatomically, every body is different. Every brain is different. These are simple facts. So in reality, there really is no "perfect" anything! So...my "un-trained" advice...just be the best possible YOU...you can be! -Namaste!

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