The Perfect Person

When you look at yourself, who do you see?

"I used to get my hips way up in Rabbit; now I barely get my forehead to my knees."

"I went on vacation for two weeks and now I can't even fold over in Forward Bend."

"Ugh, I am so out of shape."

When my dear yoga students make these self-deprecating comments, drop these hints about their self loathing or voice their internal self-sabotauge,  I feel sad. 

I always want to ask, who are you comparing yourself to?

When you are thinking about the flexibility you wish for, the job you think you should have, the relationship you thought you'd be in by now, you are measuring yourself againt The Perfect Person.

But have you ever asked yourself, "Perfect...compared to what?'

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If you want to succeed....fail.

September was the 13th Annual Forbes Global CEO Conference, gathering some of the most powerful business leaders in the world.

Now, it can be tempting to judge this group of billionaires by the numbers: how much they are worth, how many houses they own, the number of companies they run.... and with a pinch of disdain.  It's common to feel snarky about billionaires. 

But something that's often overlooked: their exceptional human qualities. And it's those qualities that fuel the numbers.

Quite contrary to what we commonly think about rich people - as greedy or self-serving - what you can often hear upon listening to them is something quite different: a deep commitment and a strength that requires courage, heart and persistence. A "CAN DO" attitude that embraces failures as simply part of the process. A get-up-again mantra about life.

It's just what we practice in hot yoga....

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3 More Things I have Learned from Sweaty Naked People

In the past 15 years, I’ve touched more than 5000 sweaty, naked people. By choice.

I am a hot yoga teacher.

I mostly frown on public nakedness (I have had several requests to add “nude hot yoga” to our schedule. Not gonna happen.) Hot yoga is the exception.

In hot yoga, you're shedding your clothing... and your secrets. Because like it or not, your body never lies.

I touch sweat-drenched students with the intention to bring you deeper into a pose. And as I hold on, you teach me a lot about what you are willing to let go.

What are you releasing in hot yoga? I can tell you with a single touch...

There you are, mat to mat with people of all sizes, shapes and smells, testing the limits of your skimpiest clothing, your dripping sweat, your ability to focus despite distractions (this is not easy, especially in forward bends.)

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"Which hot yoga poses can I practice at home?"

I love enthusiastic Riverflow hot yoga students who ask me, "Which hot yoga poses can I do at home?"

The answer: all of them - as long as you never move a muscle.

Once you have a steady, 3-times-a week hot yoga practice, you can improve all 26 of your hot yoga poses by rehearsing them in your mind.

That's right - sit back and be lazy. (Repeat after me: Lazy is good; lazy is good; lazy is gooooooood!)

Only it's not so lazy; it takes commitment, focus, and giving up the guilt about "doing nothing." Get ready for your Hot Yoga Mental Rehearsal.

Mental rehearsal isn't a New-Age, touchy/feely thing; it's science. Countless experiments like the one above, usually done with athletes, prove that the results can be exactly the same when you exercise your mind. 

Can you pretend your hot yoga practice into perfection?

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