Practice, Not Perfect Execution

Photos via Brandy Lyn Winfield, an incredible yogini who won the 2010 Bishnu Charan Ghosh Cup and who teaches at Bikram Yoga Summerlin in Las Vegas, NV.

How many times does a Yoga Asana Championship-winning yogi practice a posture before taking home that trophy?

You'll never know. They lost count.

Or better yet, they never counted to begin with. Because it wasn't about the number of times they got it right. It was about trying again. Doing the best they could. Letting go of the rest.

Taking flight.

I recently read a lovely blog post by Bikram yogi Hannah over at Hannah Just Breathe about how there is always something we can learn from our practice. Even if we mess up and eat right before class, sitting in savasana can teach us to prepare better next time. Even if we've been to Teacher Training and back, we have more to learn from our instructors and the yogis around us about how to focus, how to let go, how to have fun.

Whether it's our first class or our 100th in a challenge, we are practicing strength and getting better by letting go of expectations instead of demanding perfection of ourselves.

As Hannah's teacher said, "Each time you come, each time you practice, you learn something new, about your body or yourself or the yoga.  It is the practice that’s important, not the perfect execution.”

Next time you get overwhelmed by your own mistakes, or frustrated by your yoga performance, I challenge you to reconsider the way you define your practice. Are you at the studio to experience the yoga and to detox your body and mind, or to impress your fellow yogis by executing the posture perfectly?

Will you fix your hair and shorts and wipe sweat so you look OK, or let it go and get down to business?

Who are you making eye contact with in the mirror -- your neighbor or your own steady gaze?

Do you bring home pride, or humility after class?

I was so proud of Joanna over at Lock the Knee when I read her recent post about how well she took disappointment when competing in regional yoga championships did not go exactly as planned. Basically, she didn't hit her Standing Bow the way she had been hoping to, and practicing for, but that didn't mean she was about to give up. And in case you were wondering, she's got a killer Standing Bow:

A true Bikram yogi and teacher. I mean, this lady's got it goin' on.

Instead of slinking off-stage, Juliana took her time completing the rest of the postures she had been practicing (as she says, "because at this point I didn't really care about the clock and I was still on stage in front of a whole ton of people.  I might as well do something nice before hanging up my leotard until next year!").

Sarcasm aside, instead of freaking out or getting upset, J was able to laugh off what didn't go as well as she hoped it would -- and she even posted about it on her blog in one of the most hilarious throwbacks to the awesome web comic Hyperbole and a Half I've ever read. She had fun, she did some great yoga, and she took home no regrets -- she practiced being calm and carrying on! -- and for that, The Dancing J should be super proud.

As should Hannah, her wise instructor, and the novice yogi who he counseled about coming to class on and empty stomach.

With these inspiring Bikram yogis in mind, I challenge you to reconsider your habits at the studio, and your true motives for engaging in this practice called yoga.

Next time you find yourself whining at yourself in the mirror about how you didn't achieve that last inch of depth in Half Moon, or how you didn't get your chin to shoulder in Standing Bow before falling out, shut your brain up.

Relax.

Bikram yoga is about practice, not perfect execution.

I love how delicate her toes are in this picture. So beautiful! You can believe it took some practice to get to this perfect execution.