Have you ever done a yoga pose wrong for years? I have.

Have you ever farted during yoga class? Don’t be embarrassed. I bet most yoga teachers have done it (self-included). That’s the last time I’ll ever eat refried beans before restorative yoga…

Self-consciousness stinks. Yoga is about introspection. It’s difficult to focus when you think, “OMG it smells bad and everyone will see me. I wish I could hide like a Ninja!”

Don’t worry. Don’t worry. This would be 100% wild. Thank you, I still have about 10% of my sanity. Where were we before?

I feel embarrassed when I do the downward-dog.

This pose is my arch-nemesis. One time, I went to Glowga. It’s just what it sounds like: yoga poses in a darkened room using glow sticks. Try it! After years of practice, my feet finally touched the ground.

I told my friends on Facebook that I was proud. The victory didn’t last. After class, my yoga teacher noticed that I had posted a status update. She told me that my feet barely touched the ground because I was doing the pose incorrectly. Whoops. My ego was irritated. It’s a real diva.

In the past, I’d seen Down Dog in most of my classes. Why did those teachers not say anything? I don’t understand. It doesn’t matter what the reason is, I put too much weight on my shoulders. I’m not interested enough in alignment to write about it in depth, but you can find out more by clicking here.

In my first class, I felt no different about the down-dog. I was blown away when the teacher instructed her students to “rest.” I thought it was a cruel joke.

As relaxing as climbing on a burning rope is a minute spent in the down-dog.

The other half will disagree with me. The other half of the people who read this will be thinking, “What’s this guy complaining about?” Each yoga pose is different. Labels like “beginner,” “advanced,” and so on are not very useful. What is easy for one person might be difficult for another.

You won’t learn to master poses faster if you call yourself a loser.

I’m sure I tried it too. Be patient with your unique progress rate. Do not compare yourself with the person next to you who is more flexible. She didn’t get that way by birth! She is only adjustable because she has spent more hours practicing than you can imagine.

When people push themselves too far, they can get injured. You may be motivated by jealousy (“Ugh! She’s further into the stretch than I am!”) or egotistical thoughts (“You should have gotten better by now !”). All of these thoughts can be detrimental.

Please be kind to yourself. Consider it a success if you improve by 1% every time you do a yoga pose.

Various sources can be used to learn about alignment

Many yoga teachers don’t like to point out your mistakes because they want you to feel comfortable. I suggest learning about correct alignment through a variety of sources, including blogs, books, and videos.

Invite the most hateful person you know to your home. Ask them for feedback after you demonstrate the pose. Do not get upset when someone bursts your bubble.

You may have discovered that you had done a pose incorrectly after a few weeks, months, or even years. Please tell me in the comments if you have. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone!