yoga and perfectionism

In this intermediate hatha yoga class we will be working with steady and rigorous foundational yoga postures to help prepare your body for half moon balancing pose. These movements which will focus on your feet, legs, hips, shoulders, core strength, neck and balance will help to build greater mobility, flexibility and strength in your body.

This is the first of a fourteen class series on perfectionism. In this class we will answer the question, Why does perfectionism develop?

Many people who have perfectionist tendencies are conscientious, hardworking and are eager to meet other people’s expectations. Part of holding high standards for yourself means that you feel valuable and indispensable. The downside of perfectionism is that you have to constantly strive to meet everybody’s expectations.

Growing up, it is important that we are mirrored. That means that are actions are seen, acknowledged and attended to. If we eat our dinner when we are young we are praised, if we push in our chair, we are acknowledged, if we clear our dishes etc. Perfectionism can often been an adaptation due to a deficit of mirroring.

If you grew up in a home with an insecure or narcissistic parent, your job may have been to be a mirror for their hungry ego. As a result, you may have adapted by trying to stand out by being perfect.

For me it has been useful to mirror myself, to acknowledge myself and to attend to myself and parent myself as I have grown into adulthood.

Today we are going to practice half moon balancing pose since the moon reflects the light of the sun. In this way we can mirror our own internal light as well. The moon reflects the light of the sun. When we practice half moon balancing posture we can connect with our innate capacity for mirroring our own internal light, the preciousness of our human lives, our uniqueness and value, our perfect imperfection. That is the intention behind this class.

Resource: Present Perfect Samov Pavel, Ph.D.