This modern day and age of all things splashy, flashy, and bright may be effecting your yoga practice....and here's why.
We all see the beautiful pictures of yoga on the beach, on the mountain, on Mars.....beautiful yogis are bending themselves into human pretzels perhaps leaving us lusting for our own personal practice to look like those of the modern day supermodels of yoga.
I get it. I'm guilty. I love seeing those pictures and the inspiring words that often accompany, they are beautiful and I've even been known to post one or two of my own. But here's the thing....that isn't really the point. Complex poses are fun and a way to explore the art of play and practice. But by no means is the complexity of the pose have anything to do with how strong or weak of a practice you may have.
Take Vinyasa or Flow style yoga. There is absolute beauty in the variety of poses and sequences that each new day brings. But if following a flow session you find yourself annoyed with the teacher because they didn't spice it up enough for you or advance you far enough in a pose.....then you are missing the point. If you are looking for the glitz and glamour you are missing the beauty of yoga which is not glitz and glamour and all things external but is instead finding a way to quiet the mind and turn inward to recognize that you are already perfect as is. If you are looking outward for happiness in yoga or in life....the directions need to be reversed and reexamined.
Now I'm off to find that map quest app for my inner self....