Sit In Your Perfect

Take a look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? I hope you do. You are beautiful. You are handsome. You are amazing! Do those words sound foreign to you? They shouldn’t! Because they are true.

Sometimes we look at ourselves and become our own worst critics: I’m overweight. I have blotchy skin. I’m too short. My hair is going gray. (Shall I go on?)

We forget about the beauty that we possess inside and out. We forget that we are only human beings....living a human experience, capable of making mistakes, but also capable of accomplishing great things. We sometimes forget about our gifts, traits, and talents: I’m organized. I can play the flute. I can make a mean pumpkin pie!

In spite of our perceived flaws....we are perfect. YOU are PERFECT! You are the way you are supposed to be. Media likes to tell us differently; we need to be someone or something else. Turn off the television!

Let’s take a moment in our yoga practice today to remember the reality of your perfection.

Take a seat on the floor. You will move into what is called Perfect Pose. It’s like sitting in a cross-legged position, but you will place one leg in front of the other or stack one leg on top of the other rather than interlacing the legs (see picture).

The Sanskrit word for Perfect Pose is Siddhasana. Siddha means Semi-Devine Being with Great Sanctity. The posture gets its name because the person performing the pose attempts to emulate a sage who is perfect or a prophet who is accomplished. (That sounds just like YOU.)

This pose is suitable for a seated meditation which is what you’ll do for your home yoga practice. As you sit in Perfect Pose, begin your deep yoga breath to bring awareness and focus to your inner self. Call to mind all your positive traits, talents, and qualities. Name the things you like and love about yourself. Even bring to mind events or circumstances in your life that made you proud and smile (e.g. job promotion, graduation.) Sit in your perfection. If negative thoughts, ideas, or beliefs enter your consciousness, take a deep Ujjayi breath to clear that thought from your Being. That is NOT your TRUE SELF. Only bring to mind those positive aspects and features of yourself. Remain here for 3-5 minutes.

After this practice, return to the mirror and say THREE POSITIVE things about yourself OUTLOUD. Then smile.

Namaste.