I'm not the perfect yogi.
Sometimes, I still lose my cool.
I still get angry when I get stuck behind someone driving under the speed limit.
I forget to take deep breaths when I’m frustrated. Sometimes I let the anger seep up and come to a boil, and suddenly it's spilling out of me and I can't control it.
Sometimes I don’t want to practice asana. Sometimes, I just want to put on sweatpants, stuff my face with chocolate and watch Sex and the City.
Sometimes, I still judge people.
I complain.
I lose my intention.
Sometimes, when I need a good cry, I go for a drive while blasting Taylor Swift.
I still get jealous. And frustrated. And sad. And heartbroken. And self-critical. And guilty.
I still feel weird and have a hard time accepting compliments, especially about my body and looks.
Sometimes I hit the snooze button. Multiple times.
Yoga is my lifestyle. It’s who I am. I am a yogi, but I’m also a human being. I have weaknesses. I’m not the perfect yoga instructor. I’m not a vegan, I don’t sage my home, I don’t chant in Sanskrit, I can’t do the “cool” poses.
But I do seek out the moments, the joys, the motivations that help me be a better person every day. On the days when my mind is not clouded with negative energy, I smile a lot.
I find something, or somethings, I’m grateful for.
I write long emails to old friends.
I find meditation in simple tasks.
I offer advice to loved ones.
I recognize my fears, and I let them go.
I eat healthy, 90 percent of the time.
I accept a compliment without feeling the need to compliment the person back.
I meet perfect strangers and have fascinating conversations with them.
I speak from a place of sincerity, and only when necessary.
I listen. I don't know what anecdote I'm going to share after my friend is finished speaking.
Every day, I move a little closer to finding tranquility, to doing good and being good, to living a life of plain and simple good.
So don’t hate on yourself, or others, for not being 100% good all the time. Open your eyes to the idea of an overall wholesomeness that may be spattered with humanness from time to time.