You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out. ~Martha Graham

Ever have this feeling that you just don’t quite measure up? You are definitely not alone. We have this idea in Western society that we can achieve some Herculean standard of what we like to call “perfection.” We spend billions of dollars a year working on our selves – body, mind and soul to become paragons on a pedestal. Plastic surgery is an easy target for this type of mind set, but what about those natural health magazines we see in the store? They promise you 30 days to a better, slimmer, happier self – and often we eat it up like a $5 Vegas buffet. What is it for – so that we won’t suffer? Get hurt? Suffering is a natural part of being human – is this relentless pursuit of perfection really the secret to ending your suffering?

There is nothing wrong with trying to improve yourself. Indeed, the quest to better ourselves is part of the gorgeous smörgåsbord of life. What really gets us down is trying to make ourselves fit into the picture of perfection, whatever that may be for each one of us. As Anna Quindlen says, “The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” In essence, when we give up the inflexibility of perfection, we begin the work of being human in our imperfect human body, with limits and scars and wounds and warts and all. And we are so beautiful!

There are also some significant downsides to perfectionism: low self-esteem, guilt, depression, rigidity, obsessiveness, lack of motivation and self-doubt, to name a few. Yoga is all about increasing confidence in your intuition and relearning your knowledge of your inner self, your core – learning all about what really moves you, deep inside your heart.

This is the marvelous, gorgeous important part – where yoga comes in and teaches us to accept, love and just sit with our imperfections. After all, if everyone was the same, we would all do the same asanas, in the same way, every day at the same time. What fun would that be? One of the most awesome things about yoga is that it adapts to all seasons of life. It’s easy to sit in awe of the body as layer after layer unfolds with continued practice. We find that all of our illnesses, quirks and differences are what makes us beautiful – the challenge that they present molds our soul and reconnects us with the divine within and shape our journey in this body. Have you ever heard that true and lasting love comes when you can love someone for their flaws rather than what they have going well for them?

So why not give it a try for a minute, an hour or a lifetime? Toss out any assumptions, expectations or desires about your practice for starters. Don’t walk into a class with an idea about what you are going to do; just walk in with an open heart and mind. Practice an attitude of acceptance. A huge weight can be lifted off of your shoulders and you may find yourself looking around with renewed interest in life and an exciting direction to go in your practice. So go ahead -Be imperfect! Viva la difference!

The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection. ~ George Orwell

The author, Anna Ferguson, is a yoga teacher, artist, photographer and writer. She teaches weekly classes at Asheville Yoga Center and other studios in Asheville, NC. Find out more about her at ushasyoga.com.

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