Hi! I am a perfectionist. Any task I have I NEED to get it done FLAWLESSLY and if I don’t then I might as well move out of the country because I don’t deserve friends, family, a job, shelter, happiness… etc. Sound familiar? I always had this innate sense that I needed to be “good” at something. I often would catch myself saying it to my friends as an adult. Lets rewind for some Vulnerability TIME !! Throughout my childhood, I was an athlete which I excelled at.. and I always got great grades. I thought if I was perfect or the best in sports and school then I would make my parents proud and people like me more. This stayed with me throughout college and then I went right into grad school for PT school. Graduating with my Bachelors and Doctorate of Physical Therapy were life goals to achieve for my “perfect life”. But afterwards, I was lost…my adult life bubble BURST! This adult world wasn’t cooker cutter…I couldn’t study or win a trophy. Yoga ties in I promise. I became very depressed after the sparkle of working my first job faded. I CRAVED for something to be perfect at…to find my niche. Because that is what happens with perfectionism…we attach our self-worth to it. So when I first started yoga, I told myself…”okay, Casey you were a gymnast and are flexible ..like you can CRUSH yoga! This is it!” Well….let’s just say that is not how it went haha. Yes, I could do the “hard” poses… but I couldn’t handle savasana or any of the more yin ( easeful ) poses. I ripped myself apart for not being perfect at laying and not thinking. So I would shy away from yoga but was always pulled back.
Yoga is a PRACTICE!! It cannot be perfected! If you are perfect at yoga then you must be an IMMORTAL God because it is meant for us to fail ..recognize and reset then get back onto your mat. Because Perfection is not being HUMAN !! We were created to make mistakes and fall out of poses. Some days I will feel so powerful and strong on my mat then other days I am crying in child’s pose. So I am here to tell you to have FUN and give gratitude for being IMPERFECT! Boom! Mike drop! Yes, you can have love and appreciate all of your flaws. It is so freeing!! Lets go on this journey together.