Come as You Are

A sweet student came up to me after class yesterday and said, “I just love your classes, Jill - you don’t make me feel inadequate!”

I giggled at the time and thanked her, but her words stuck with me after I left the studio. On the one hand, I thought, “Well, that’s an underwhelming feeling to leave class with, just that you didn’t feel inadequate.” But the more I thought about it, I started to realize how profound that statement really was.

Haven’t we all felt inadequate in a yoga class before, or maybe at the gym, or in any number of similar situations?

I remember when I first started going to “advanced” classes during my yoga teacher training. Even before class would start, I would look around at all the younger, bendier bodies with envy. When a crazy arm balance was called out, I would stare in disbelief, thinking, “How is that even possible?”

In short, I felt...well, inadequate!

Or maybe for you, the feelings of inadequacy are what’s keeping you from even trying a yoga class. I’m not flexible enough. I’m not strong enough. I just need to get some of these pounds off first.

Well, I’m here to tell you that you are enough. Right here, right now, you are enough, just as you are. You are worthy.

I am so thankful that my yoga practice has taught me this lesson, although it took a while. The work we do on our mats is also an inside job. Yoga, at its core, is about finding peace within yourself. As we move through our postures, we learn to observe our breath and our inner dialogue, and hopefully, eventually, to create harmony in our bodies, minds, and hearts.

As a teacher, this is my foremost job, to create a space where you feel welcome, where you feel adequate to put down your mat and practice finding peace within yourself.

Come to my class. Come as you are. You are worthy. You are enough.