Criticism

I have always loved appropriate criticism.

If I don’t get notes at the end of a run through of a play, I worry that what I was doing in rehearsal was so boring the director couldn’t be bothered to watch, much less offer feedback.

If I don’t get corrections in a yoga class, I worry that my poses were so awful that the teacher couldn’t even deal with correcting me without the risk of holding back the whole class.

These are not worries that cause real anxiety or stress, but worries that make me work harder and in more interesting ways (I think) in the hopes of getting criticism so that I can move forward more.

I do not like being humiliated, bullied, or catching opinions about my opinions.

Iyengar yoga, the method I practice, is known for its teaching style and for giving feedback. Some students HATE this style of yoga. After being a bit of a yoga slut (practicing several different kinds of yoga), I went to one Iyengar class and I haven’t looked back.

I want to be able to recognize my own weaknesses and work on them (note: this is different from being welcoming to constant criticism of the details of my personality and heartfelt opinions). I really credit Iyengar yoga for making that make sense to me.