Good to Great

Good, it has been said, is the enemy of the great. In yoga this often proves true.

Wanting to do a particularly challenging posture, and being willing to do what it takes are two completely different things, and sooner or later even the most well-intentioned practitioners seem to settle into a rhythm of ‘good-enough’.

At this point some seemingly justifiable accounting (read as ‘excuse’) for the gap between good and great emerges.

‘I could never do that. I was born with tight hamstrings/quads/or shoulders. My arms are too long/too short/or not strong enough. I’m too old/too busy/or just plain tired. It’s never going to happen for me . . . ‘

But what separates good yoga practitioners from great yoga practitioners is not the presence or absence of challenges, but rather how they choose to deal with them.

Greatness is not (and never has been) a function of talent or innate ability. As in any other pursuit, greatness in yoga is largely the result of conscious choice and discipline.

Most yoga practitioners would like to press to Handstand or step directly into full Front Splits, but few are actually willing to do what it takes to get there.

It doesn’t matter how bleak your current practice may appear to be, or how mediocre your postures feel, if you maintain an unwavering faith that you will not just persevere, but thrive in the face of this challenge, you will.

Go ahead,try a little harder. Be willing to do a little more. Reach for the experience of your best self.

It matters. You matter. And it is so worth it.