This is another beautiful post from one of our Yoga Teacher Trainees. Hope you enjoy…
This is a difficult topic for me. As I have been thinking about that question, I felt that feeling content and happy does not come easy for me.
I tend to put myself and also my environment under a lot of pressure and it seems that sometimes only being perfect is good enough for me: back in school that meant being popular, having lots of friends, being good in class and a “perfect daughter”. Nowadays it means striving to be the perfect mom, getting everything done I set my mind on in the shortest amount of time possible and not to gain any pound.
Who can be content or happy under such circumstances? So clearly, neither I nor my family or friends can live up to so much expectation.
Since I started doing Yoga more regularly I manage to be “imperfect” more often. If things do not work out according to schedule I have to think of the phrase “This, too, I can include” and I more often manage to not freak out because I did not do all the things I “needed” to do.
I remember one day my little daughter had no school and stayed at home. My first thought was: ”Ah, I won’t be able to my million chores I set my mind on…Waste of time….won’t be able to do anything… “. Meanwhile my little one was happily singing in the car and telling everyone she was staying at home with her mommy. She was just one little happy and content person. I slowly felt myself letting go of all my expectations and was able to just let things flow. What a nice day we had! It was not filled with anything in particular, it was just a flow of love and happiness to be able to be together, just the two of us. My daughter showed me how little is necessary to feel content and full.
And I started to forgive myself of not being perfect on that day and still feel like being a good and adequate person. That felt very powerful- and made me content and grateful in my heart.
What a beautiful post – thank you for your heartfelt words, whoever wrote it!