Don’t Put Me on Your Idealistic Pedestal

It’s been coming up recently when friends or students have had a certain idea about me; that this belief in their head has taken me by surprise. In turn it has taken them by surprise when I dismember that belief with the truth. I am nowhere near perfect. And I don’t pretend to be. I let my emotions get the better of me, I suck at self-care when it matters, I get too lazy to eat and then wonder why I’m so damn tired. That’s reality. For me that’s the ups and downs of life and I’m battling these things more often than not. I still drag myself out of bed though, and I forgive myself for slipping up. But, I am doing the best I can in that moment. I roll with the choices I make, whether they are good or bad, and then I deal with the consequences. And the thing is, I know they are my responsibility and I can’t blame anyone else for how I feel or the actions I take. And sometimes I preach self-care but I also try to teach compassion for self. I’m a huge advocate for balance in all things. Do yoga then eat chocolate. Sit on your arse for hours then take the dog for a walk. Get enough sleep one week then drink too much coffee the next. The point being that I’m human and what I do may not be ‘yogi’ or ‘the perfect way’ to you. But we are all different. I’m not telling you to restrict yourself and I’m certainly not telling you to punish yourself. If you are thinking that well it’s not because I’m standing at the front of the room with those words written on my forehead. That’s not how I live and I don’t expect you to either. I don’t put myself in a box and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t either. I don’t do things because someone told me to. I am just taking it one day, one decision, at a time. So next time you’re making up stories about your yoga teacher, ask yourself ‘how much of it is the truth’? Question how much energy you are putting into creating these fantasies instead of living your life your way. And if you don’t want to listen to anything I’m saying then that’s great too! Do what you want because it works for YOU!