Are you Good Enough?

Shoot! My left hamstring is lifting off the log, but is it good enough?!

Ideas are contagious, so here's an idea: you're beyond good enough. You work hard everyday, you give so much of yourself to your family, you listen to your friends, and these are just some of the small things you do naturally. How good are you?! As I experienced my first Miami yoga class, I tuned in to my greatness. I figured I'd try taking a few classes while on vacation. I was eager to see how the class would flow and what more I could learn. My intentions were beyond good.
My yoga instructor was a very lean yogi with a strong Spanish accent (predictable in Miami). As the class began with subtle twists propped up on two blankets, he urged us to keep our hearts open. It felt so good to draw my shoulders as far back as possible. I guess my heart was craving a little attention. I struggled with my balance in revolved triangle, which I found amusing given that my blog post yesterday was about balance! I've been off my mat for 5 days, so I've definitely been feeling out of balance and yoga confirmed that today. The studio had ropes which are a new yoga studio trend. Although we only used them for downward facing dog, I was so grateful for the opportunity to try something new in my practice. The bonus in using the ropes is that you can adjust your body weight allowing a deeper exploration of an asana.
I was so glad I experimented with a yoga class in a foreign place. The flow of this class was so different from what I'm used to experiencing. I had a few 'AHA' moments as well. First, I realized that it's so enriching to try different styles of yoga or even different teachers. No one likes to explore out of their comfort zone, but when you gather the courage to do so, it feels so rewarding. Secondly, I had some passing clouds in my head at one point. Though I was the only student who stayed in headstand the longest, I still wondered if I was good enough, as a student and as a teacher. The amazing fact of yoga is that you never quite master it. There are so many ways to deepen an asanas that your practice is infinite. As a student, my goal is to connect to my Spirit. When a pose seems challenging to me, I tune in. So when the question of being good enough surfaced, I felt a responsibility to share it. May be you're struggling with the same feeling in your life. Be it as a wife, a mother, a friend - the idea of not being  good enough is present.
I was interested in trying a class here not only for my own practice, but to learn something new that I could share with my students. Isn't that good enough? We tend to set our personal bar so high, quietly building over-the-top expectations. Why are we so hard on ourselves, yet when it comes to others struggling with similar emotions, we're overly compassionate? I'm my toughest critic, but starting right now, I'm patting myself on the back for a job well done. You're welcome to join me in letting go of the crappy idea of not being good enough. We deserve our good. We deserve to be prosperous. Change your idea from bad to good and spread it! Let these ideas marinate in consciousness. May we all lead with good intentions, no expectations, and the ability to be as compassionate with ourselves as we are with others. Namaste.