Come As You Are
Today I treated myself to my favorite yoga class of the week, Restore…ahhh! Don’t you just love the sound of that…a class to restore? Sometimes they refer to this class as “Surrender”…another yummy title.
Atypical to my usual routine, I found myself arriving early to said class with plenty of time for meditation, pre class stretch and introspection. The teacher was a sub. thus I had no idea what I was getting into. He started to guide us into the class by telling us to “Come as you are.” Of course I have heard this phrase many times but for some reason it hit me hard today as I began thinking about what that would really look like.
And for me. today. at 12:04 pm it looked like someone in need of self acceptance. Tears, my friends. This is work I have been doing for years and yet I still get sucked back into the vacuum of self judgment and not good enough-ness. Just when I think I {should} have this figured out, it shows up in yet another way. The struggle is real, for certain!
Allowing ourselves to come as we are is a gift. I think my tears originated from the realization that {today} I actually needed this yoga instructor to give me permission for self acceptance. Dang! I really do NOT want to need permission from anyone else to self accept and yet… Today I did not have the gift to give myself but sub teacher, Thomas did. Like when your mom bought the present for you to give to your sibling cuz well you had no money or sense of what they wanted or needed. But mom always knew and today Thomas knew.
Surrounding ourselves with those who are intentional life supporters helps bring us to a “present is okay space.” And that is a beautiful place to be. {Present, truly a gift!}
In fact, I’d go so far as to say a holy place to be.
As a life coach I find myself immersed in the space of achievement, self evaluation, goal setting and reaching, always reaching. This can be both exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.
The merging of these two positions: self acceptance and achievement came to me recently in a quote by one of my mentor coaches, Brig Johnson:
Hearing her say these words made me smile big time. Of course, it makes perfect sense. Why not?!
Give yourself permission to accept that you are not there, yet!
Doesn’t mean you won’t get there. Only that it may not happen in your predicted, expected or hoped for timeline.
Totally okay.
And when you feel like an imperfect mess, consider this quote by Richard Rohr:
Not sure about your personal goals, but I am guessing being content on this earth is probably right up there. I know it is for me.
And today I thank my yoga instructor, Thomas, coach mentor, Brig and thinker, author and inspirational, Richard for helping me reassess.
Seeking acceptance, grace and the divinity in my disorder.
Hoping the same for each of you!
xoKathleen
