The Joy of Celebrating Others’ Success in Yoga (and in Life)

image shot at Aro Ha

From the moment we’re born, we’re placed into systems of comparison. School grades. Sibling dynamics. Social status. Even in yoga—where the goal is inner awareness and union—we sometimes fall into the trap of judgment and competition.

We compare ourselves to the person in front of us holding Scorpion Pose effortlessly while we’re still figuring out Crow. And if we’re not "as good"—whatever that means—we shrink a little inside. Something in us wilts.

I’ll admit it: for years as a yoga instructor, I avoided taking classes at studios where I taught. Not because I didn’t love learning, but because I didn’t want my students to see what I couldn’t do. I feared they’d lose respect. I feared not being “enough.”

Then came a turning point.

While teaching at a destination retreat, a student became visibly frustrated—and even yelled at me—because there was one pose in the sequence he couldn’t do, while most others could. He felt left out, defeated. He questioned why I would teach something he hadn’t yet mastered. It was a painful moment.

But in his anger, I saw a reflection of my own past insecurities. He was embodying the very feeling I had carried for so long—the fear of not measuring up, of being seen in my vulnerability. I gently shared this with him, not as a defense but from a place of deep understanding. I explained that over time, I had learned to celebrate others’ wins on the mat. Their progress did not diminish mine. Their success didn’t mean my failure.

By the end of that retreat in Jamaica, this same student told me I was one of the best teachers he’d ever had. Not because he nailed the pose, but because he felt seen and supported—without comparison.

Here’s the peak pose of this blog post:

Celebrating others’ success—especially in areas where we’re still growing—opens something magical inside us. It creates space. It creates joy. It gives others permission to shine without guilt, and it softens the grip of our own self-doubt.

And when your turn comes (because it will), the world will celebrate you just as joyfully.

It’s karma, baby.

So next time someone lands a pose you’ve been working toward, or gets the opportunity you’ve been dreaming of—smile. Clap. Celebrate them. Your energy adds to the goodness of the world. And in this sacred practice of yoga and life, that goodness will always find its way back to you.