So, today I was talking to one of my friends who also comes to my yoga class, and I was asking her what makes her keep going on her personal yoga journey.  She said a few things that were interesting to me, but she also said that she likes it when I say, “try it on the other side, the other side could be different”.  We chatted about that for a bit, and it’s really true.  One side may be easier from the other, and what’s more, what is hard or where it is difficult may change from day to day.  For example, a balance pose may work on your left side, but not on your right.  And, another day, it may be beautiful on your right, but not on your left.

Now, this may seem obvious to some of you, but we can really apply this advice to life also.  One time, having a house full of children will be easy, and another time miserable.  Sometimes dinner pans out great, another time, it may be uninspiring.  You can’t judge it from one experience, because as my friend Kyczy says, (paraphrased a lot here) our best will be contingent on the sleep we’ve had, the food we’ve eaten, and a million other factors depending on the day and the task at hand.

So, let’s be compassionate with ourselves and one another, and give ourselves the space to not have to be perfect each and every day.  Sometimes, our bodies may be stiff, sometimes our minds will wander, and sometimes, we just didn’t sleep enough or we’ve had bad luck.  In your yoga practice, learn to give yourself the room to grow and put the ego aside enough to do something even when it’s hard or unsuccessful, and maybe, with time, this compassion will extend to other areas of self-care in your life.