Hello Beautiful SoulBodies –
I am so tired of the drive to be perfect. Where the hell did that come from anyway? Of course, it’s tiring, because it is unachievable and keeps us locked into a never ending cycle of busyness and grasping. It also keeps us second guessing ourselves and believing that who we are is somehow a mistake that needs to be righted. It can also keep us from ever offering our medicine to the world because be come afraid that it is not good enough, not polished enough, not (fill in the black) enough. For who though? Seriously, for who?
Why can’t we be messy and human? Why can’t we learn to love the parts of us that are still becoming, evolving and emerging? Perhaps it is because we have put the ideal of the machine at the top of the heap and have forgotten the beauty of the uneven and less than precise…the human touch, so to speak.
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane.” ~ Anne Lamott
I am on a quest to bring back the spaces and attitudes that can invite our imperfect beauty to shine. For us to stop the incessant drive to better and more polished and so on. A world where we can show up with the whole spectrum of our being with honesty and kindness for the messiness of our humanness. I endeavor to put my hand on my heart and belly, daily, and welcome what is present in my body, my mind, my heart, my soul. And then let that be part of how I meet the world and color my offerings. This is so different from trying to have it all together before stepping out and projecting the ‘perfect’ put together person for everyone to admire! I invite you to play with this possibly of welcoming what is and letting it be the beautiful ground you stand on to be in the world.
“Perfection is a stick with which to beat the possible.” ~ Rebecca Solnit
When we endeavor to be perfect we can miss the other possibilities that lay in wait for us. We become so focused on the goal of someone’s ideal that some of the uniqueness of ourselves gets forgotten and we can even feel erased without even recognizing it! How sad as we need each one of us…that’s why we are here…the world needs each of our one of a kind presence, not a cookie cutter perfect clone.
“Excellence does not require perfection.” ~ Henry James
I invite you to join me in the revolutionary practices of rest, good enough, messiness, humanness. Begin to notice where the imposition of demand of perfection has worked its way into your life…I imagine it has as it is part and parcel of this over-culture we are living in and see if you can pry your beautiful, one-of-a-kind bodymindheart from its grip and offer yourself the kindness of acceptance and love. Let me know what you discover and how it changes you and the spaces you inhabit?
May we allow our messiness to be our beauty
May we find the spaces where we are welcome in our humanness and offer that to others
May we honor the full spectrum of our aliveness
May we bring wild blessings and fierce love to all we encounter
Practice Prompts:
- Start your day, your yoga practice, etc with a moment of attention. Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly, or any other gesture that feels welcoming for you. And take a moment to notice what is present in your body (sensations, feelings, aches and pains as well as ease), in your mind (focused, scattered, obsessed), in your heart (grief, anger, longing, joy, relief), and in your soul (connected, disconnected, etc). And take a moment to welcome the entirety of you in that moment…and take you with you into the next activity, the next conversation, etc.
- Be curious about where the pressure of perfection shows up in your life and how it impacts your ways of being you in the world. Possibly start to practice doing ‘just enough’, less than 150%, less than 100%, take some pauses and look around and see how you might engage in the world from your unique vantage point.
- Give yourself a break. Whatever that means for you.
- I offer one to one sessions, in-person in Bend, Oregon, and virtually all over the world. Currently, I am not taking on any more virtual clients and I have a waitlist for in person sessions. I am happy to answer any questions and help you with referrals. Please email me or schedule a free 20 minute Exploratory Session.
Live Streaming Practice Opportunities:
- Yoga for Resilience, Mondays, 9:30-11am PT, livestream through Body of Insight
- All Levels Yoga, Sundays… Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar 17, 9:30-11am PT, livestream through Two Dog Yoga
- On Demand Yoga Practices…All Levels… through Two Dog Yoga
Inspirational Wisdom:
Hymns for the Hurting
Everything hurts,
Our hearts overshadowed and strange,
Minds clouded and made dumb.
We carry tragedy, terrifying and true.
And yet none of it is new;
We knew it as home,
as horror,
As heritage.
Even our children
Can’t be kids
Can’t be.
We are burdened to live these days,
And at the same time blessed to survive them.
This alarm is how we know
We need to be changed –
That we must differ or die,
That we must prevail or try.
So though hate cannot be ended,
It can be transformed
In a love that makes us live.
May we not only mourn, but give:
May we not only hurt, but act;
May our signed right to bear arms
Never blind our sight to shared evil;
May we choose our children over chaos.
May never another innocent be lost.
Maybe everything hurts
Our hearts overshadowed and strange.
But only when everything hurts
May everything change.