You’re Perfect Just the Way You Are…

By Natasha Currah, 889 Yoga Teacher + Living Yoga Program Faculty

“You’re perfect just the way you are, yet there is still room for improvement”

This is a quote I hear often running through my mind whether I am on my mat or sitting with someone else on theirs.  Reassuring a student that what they are doing is enough can be hard to convincingly convey when I know the feeling of having an image of attaining energetic stillness and grace in my body. Yet, sometimes all I end up feeling is uncoordinated and weak.  As a younger student I used to focus on imitating what I saw and use my body in whatever ways it would give me to attain that “look”.   A few injuries later, it lead me to understanding that the devil is in the details (and within the details is a life long love affair with the practice).

Building a deeper, stronger and sustainable practice meant to start peeling back the layers and really beginning to build on the foundations in my body that I was aware of.  Really feeling my hands in Downward Dog: is there potential to press stronger down through the areas that feel light?  If not, how can I dial this weight bearing on my upper body back until I find it? As a result of this do I feel a pathway of stability build up into my forearms? Into my upper arms? Can I now feel the solid connection from my hand to shoulder, torso, pelvis, legs, feet?  If the relationship to gravity changes can I find this activation again? Soon the secret hierarchy of attaining the next posture/series became less important as the expansion of knowledge in my body grew.  And in turn, the more challenging asana’s became accessible.  Instead of speeding my Ferrari around a winding beautiful landscape I slowed down a bit to enjoy the views. That’s right my body is a Ferrari.  So is yours.

There is no one place the we all need to start.  It just needs to be somewhere you know and understand.  You’re perfect the way you are, yet there is still room for improvement…

Go deeper into your yoga practice with Natasha during her 5 week Anatomy of Asana workshop at 889 this fall; part of our Living Yoga Program. Register Now!