My eyes popped open at 5:45a this morning and I started mentally preparing myself for the 6:30a Bikram yoga class I had scheduled on my calendar. Oh so gingerly, I slid out of bed and tried to clear my mind enough to feed to dogs and grab my bag. That’s when it hit me. Competition is tomorrow and I’ve pushed it so hard I can barely bend over to open the dog food container! What was I thinking. “But you have to! What about your Challenge?!”
It is so easy to immediately put myself in guilt-mode, especially when I have a specific goal in mind. I have this awful tendency to shove what my body (and mind) really need to the back-burner. How ironic. The whole reason I’m doing this challenge is to take care of my body-mind! Reluctantly, I decided to skip class today and give myself some much needed self-care before I get up on that stage. Epsom salt, lots of water, some basic stretching, but nothing that will push my body so far it has to put up a bigger fight just to be heard.
I think for all of us it is important, though difficult, to recognize and stay tuned-in to what our bodies and minds are telling us. Things don’t always have to be perfect or just as we planned. One of my instructors always says as she leaves the yoga room at the end of class, “Have compassion for yourself and those around you.” Such a simple saying, yet for so many of us (especially my fellow Perfectionists) we quickly forget.
Compassion for myself is not about excusing bad behavior or enabling poor choices. It’s about honoring where I am in the moment, recognizing it, and taking supportive action to make sure I am getting what I need. All of this helps me reach my goals. That same instructor always says, “Choices, choices. We all make choices.”
My choice today? Honor where I am, look it in the eye, and support it.
A Cobweb for Every Corner 