Love Affair with Aesthetically Pleasing Asanas

Sometimes in our yoga practice, certain poses feel a lot better than they look. Happy baby, for instance... probably not going to be featured on the cover of Yoga Journal.

But some yoga is so aesthetically beautiful that you can’t help but think—man, I would love to be able to do that. Natarajasana (Dancer Pose), Fallen Angel, Eight-Angle Pose, Compass... all very aesthetically pleasing. Why do you think "Yoga Girl" Rachel Brathen has such an immense following? Sure her words are beautiful, but her pictures are what entrances the masses.

Allow me to introduce to you, my love story with a pose called Mermaid.

When I first saw this pose, I thought—I HAVE to do that. I just have to. I don’t know how, but I will find a way.

So I just started inviting it to my practice every day. It started off not so great, it didn’t feel good right away and I'm SURE it didn't look good either, but after a while it started to click.

Above is a picture of my progress after two months. Below you will find out what it looks like today:

I brought this pose and my journey to my Level 1 class last night. I was incredibly humbled to find a student from one of my classes last night post a photo of herself in this pose today and tag me in the picture. She'd nailed and was SO excited. I'd also witnessed a student seated right in front of me get it for the first time, take a glance in the mirror, and beam brightly. She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face.

What is it about these poses that we love? Maybe we think that if we are able to bring our bodies in this beautiful shape, that we will in turn become more beautiful ourselves. If that's not reason enough to practice, I don't know what is. Everyone deserves to feel beautiful.

So if there is a pose that calls your name, entertain it. You have to invite it to your practice if you want to get comfortable with it. When you begin to think of your yoga practice as a party and you personally make the guest list, you gain control of who you want to be part of the party.

The same can be said of life—you invite who you want to keep showing up. If you want something to show up in your life, keep inviting it and entertaining it. Invite love, gratitude, truth, and compassion. If you won't want things in your life, stop entertaining them. Take fear off your guest list. Kick anxiety out of the club. Send self-doubt home.

So here’s to the journey. Some of ours may be longer than others, but let's try our best to enjoy the ride either way.