I was recently reminiscing about my first ever yoga class, and the moment during the warm up when the lady next to me rolled out her mat and promptly did a perfect headstand - for what seemed like half an hour.
I was just about managing to lay on the floor and hug my knees to my chest. Maybe this wasn’t the right exercise for me...
Fortunately, thanks to the non judgemental ideals which underpin yoga, and the encouragement of a wonderful teacher, I learnt only to ask of my body what it could manage, and to focus on my own journey towards flexibility and strength - rather than everyone else's.
And this is an important approach to remember in all aspects of our lives. It can be good to have role models, But when we make comparisons to others, it can make us unhappy, dissatisfied and forgetful of the good qualities and things we have ourselves. This can lead to self doubt and impact our self esteem, as we worry about whose the prettiest, fittest, wealthiest - who’s been sitting at home furloughed while we still work hard.
Now more than ever we need to be our best selves so that we can find answers to surviving the new norm. So rather than wishing you could be someone else, try saving your precious energy to focus on who you are, what you stand for, what your journey is and how far you have come. And notice the difference it makes.
