I Am Ordinary

I am ordinary.

I was not a dancer, a gymnast, or an athlete. In fact, I was so woefully uncoordinated, I was chosen last for every sports team in P.E. for grades 1 through 9 (there was no P.E. after freshman year of high school, HALLELUJAH!). And I MEAN EVERY sports team: dodgeball, capture the flag, soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball, tennis, badminton, bowling.

I hated dance classes because everyone else picked up the steps quickly, while I couldn’t figure out which limb to move first.

Yoga is not a sport. It is not a competition.

1. I went to one yoga class, and what kept me coming back to my mat was not any kind of physical prowress, because as I explained above, I have never had any, but two realizations:

2. I am capable of far more than what my mind lets me believe. Whatever I do here, on this mat, as long as I listen and do my absolute best—which is different from the practitioner to the left of me and different from the practitioner to the right of me—is perfect.

Is there an asana that opened up your mind? That showed you that you don’t know what you don’t know? Here is one of mine, Eka pada salamba sirsansana, on my way up to sirsasana.

Tell me in the comments!