
A few years back when I had been going to yoga classes for about a year I suddenly got myself a life lesson, right there on the yoga-mat. This particular day I was trying to "out-bend" a guy next to me.
Now this is a little embarrassing to say, but I think I'm not the only one, so here we go. During the first year going to yoga classes I was in total competition mode. When doing the poses I would compare myself to whoever was next to me. Instead of concentrating on my natural talents I would force poses that didn't come easy to me if I happened to have someone beside me that was doing better.
Then one day I met my match, a guy next to me that had the same tactics. I could see it so clearly how he went for the poses that I could master and getting stressed or annoyed with himself if he didn't do as well and I would go for the poses he could master and I didn't.
It finay hit me that I was looking in a mirror and didn't like what I saw, or more I understood that this was not the way.
After that day I started to focus on myself in the classes, fine tune my good moves and work on the others in a less forced manner.
Needless to tell you soon my yoga skills got a new flow that suited my body and thereby not only being more relaxed but also becoming more advanced since I was focusing on my skills, not the skills of the person next to me. =)
Remember to dance to the beat of our own rhythm no matter how fast or slow the one next to you is dancing!