om body
accomplishments and talents, finding these
little nuggets of unquestionable facts helped
ground me in the reality of my own situation.
In these moments when we’re in the
whirlwind of self doubt, we give our inner critic
the opportunity to not only go into full rant
mode, but it also gets hold of a megaphone.
There’s little point in trying to make weak
arguments that you should feel another way.
See if you can get into the black and white
of facts that will support you in giving the
negative voices in your head a smackdown.3.Use it to lose it
Once I was able to access the more rational
part of my brain, I had to acknowledge
that I was different to my fellow students.
It was true that there were people in the
room who were stronger than me, thinner
than me, funnier than me...and getting all
tied up in knots about it (mentally rather
than physically – my chronically tight hip
abductors wouldn’t allow it) wasn’t going to
change that. So how could I use this mini
freak-out to strengthen me rather than
stress me?
I started Real Life Yoga because I felt
that all the things about me which I used to
think held me back from being a ‘good’ yoga
teacher were actually massive benefits; the
not being naturally bendy, the not wanting to
give up wine, the not always being a bundle
of joy and inner peace....so why on earth
did I suddenly think that I should be like
everyone else?
What are your strengths that make you
totally different from all those people who
you feel you should be idealising? I can
guarantee it’s all the reasons you’re not
like those people that are some of your
most endearing, valuable and discerning
features.^P.S. A little follow-up note, dear reader.
After I had wrangled my way out of this little
episode, the next edition of the magazine
came out during our second week of
training. Again it appeared in the venue’s
shop. Only this time Real Life Yoga was
across the front flippin’ cover and I had not
one but two articles in it. I could almost hear
the universe laughing and high-fiving itself.Meg Jackson is the founder of Real Life
Yoga, a movement to help real people bring
a little (or a lot) of yoga into their real
lives. Join her classes in South London, her
workshops around the country, and (coming
soon) retreats around the world. Oh and
you can buy her clothes too. Find out more:
reallifeyoga.netcopies into the recycling bin would probably
have been a bad move. On my meagre yoga
teachers wage buying them all wasn’t going
to happen. So I tried to take a moment and
drag the ‘rational me’ away from the shop.
I took a deep breath and did some
thinking. I invite you, should you ever
find yourself in a similar situation to also
consider the following. This funny thing they
call Imposter Syndrome can hit whether
we’re starting a new job, joining a new yoga
class, or meeting a partner’s family for the
first time. So whatever scenario you find
yourself in, consider this...
- This is not real life
Yes, I know I’m always all about the Real
Life, but in this instance realise that you are
experiencing these people in just a small
snippet of their lives. You may be seeing
them in a window when they are able to
be the very best version of themselves. I’m
not suggesting that they have some sort
of Jekyll and Hyde personality and are the
total opposite as soon as they’re out of
your sight, but you are seeing them in one
moment of time.
The person who has the most wonderful,
graceful practice? Her marriage could be
on the rocks and she hates her job. The guy
who makes all the best contributions to the
monthly marketing meeting? He could be
struggling to find a real connection with his
loved ones. The woman at the school gates
who turns up looking like she’s stepped off
the catwalk? She might be battling her own
insecurities and has no friends she can
open up to.
We are thrown into waves of despair
because we think the people around us are
perfect human beings with wonderful lives
not only in that moment, but the rest of
the time too. And it’s highly unlikely to be
true. So remember – this is just a snapshot.
This is just a moment of time when they get
to shine. It doesn’t mean you can’t shine
alongside them, or that you don’t shine in
different ways.
2.Find the facts
Whilst I was convincing myself that each and
every one of my fellow students was The
Best Yoga Teacher in The World, I had to get
my brain to look at the facts. First of all, my
classes do have plenty of lovely students
coming to them. My courses and workshops
and retreats sell out on a regular basis
and quite a few of my students have been
coming to me for years.
Whilst I wasn’t quite able to drum up a full
imaginary cheerleading squad for my own