I’m not the perfect yogi.

Sometimes, I still lose my cool.

I still get angry when someone is 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.

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 meditations 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.

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 percent good all the time. Open your eyes to the idea of an overall wholesomeness that may be spattered with humanness from time to time.

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Relephant:

Yes, I’m a Serious Yogi, But I Still Do These 6 Things.

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Author: Marie Albiges

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Amelia Wells/Flickr