Defeat

Yoga is supposed to be about doing the best you can do but not pushing through pain. We're told that "everyday is different" and our bodies might not feel the same as yesterday.

Being competitive and doing yoga are sometimes incompatible though. Only in extreme circumstances will I admit defeat and sit out a posture. I see it as a sign of failure, that I have regressed and people are noting that I'm a "light weight". This mentality isn't good I realise for my body or my mind. I may be pushing myself harder thanI should and chastising myself for something minor. Yoga should be about making yourself feel better, not like a loser that has underperformed.Lying down for one posture may be good if it means you can perform better for the other twenty five.

Having said that, I get immense satisfaction out of completing the standing series when I know some of the class have been dropping like flies!