Things we don't know how to do or that we think we can't do often intimidate us because it can be scary and embarrassing to face what is unknown or inaccessible. To admit to ignorance, an inability, a wrong-doing, or a misperception is one of the universally hardest things for people to do. And, unfortunately, yoga practice is not immune to that.
Maybe as you have listened to your instructor talk about which poses she is going to lead that day you feel your tummy knot up a little bit as you think to yourself I don't think I can do that or Oh no, that part of my body is really weak. And then you wonder if you have made a good choice to attend that class or if there is still time to move into the back row. Or maybe you see a flier for an upcoming workshop and you say I probably shouldn't go because I've never been any good at those poses.
Maybe just getting yourself into the studio and on to a sticky mat for the first time was difficult because you thought something like I'm not flexible enough to do yoga. I hear that from people all the time, and it drives me crazy! I want to say to them Of course you aren't flexible if you don't do yoga! Most people are not naturally physically fit; doesn't that seem like a good reason to start a practice? And of course you are challenged by those poses you don't practice very often or by those poses you haven't been taught how to do or by those parts of your body that haven't been developed or conditioned yet. That is precisely what yoga class is for.
Practice is (in part) about learning how to do the things you don't or can't currently do. It is about asking for help to attain that which you need but aren't sure how to get. If you could already do all the poses; if you were already strong, flexible, coordinated, patient, compassionate, self-aware, knowledgeable, humble, courageous, and mindful, you wouldn't need yoga. You wouldn't need to attend class. You wouldn't need a teacher's advice and guidance.
Remember Patanjali says that in order to experience yoga's ultimate goal (nirodhah; stilled consciousness) it is necessary to be nonattached (vairagya), to be free from reaction. It is normal to be attached to your sense of self, to think you already know all of your can's and cannot's. It is a natural inclination to protect your selfdom, to avoid damaging your sense of personal identity, and to seek out experiences which confirm, rather than confront, the person who you think you are. But you have presumably come to yoga to affect change, and to relieve some kind(s) of discontent or suffering. It is irrational to think that you can foster change -- that you can experience the results of potential change -- without making any actual changes. Thus abhyasa (practice) and vairagya include being willing to step outside of your comfort zone, to take on new challenges, and to risk hurting your ego.
Certainly this must be done within reason. Not every pose or category of poses is appropriate for every body. Not every risk is worth taking. Not every practice needs to be a psychological confrontation. Practice should include elements which are comfortable and familiar. Those moments when we are engaged in an activity we do well or that feels comfortable are affirming, and they serve as a reminder as to the good and hard work which has already taken place. We need parts of our practice to be simple and free from overt challenge. But if you only practice that which you do well and avoid that which you don't do well, you will more fully imbed your imbalances. Your strengths will become stronger while your weaknesses become weaker. And you will stagnate inside of your self-imposed limitations.
If you said to yourself, for instance, I shouldn't attend that back bending class because I don't know how to back bend, you would be missing the point of the class. It isn't being offered to those who already back bend (although those students would likely also enjoy and benefit from the experience). It is being offered to those who want to learn how. If you don't know how to back bend, and for that reason you avoid going to back bending classes, then you will never learn. And you will remain attached to the label of "non-back-bender."
Don't let what you don't or can't do restrict what you practice. Instead use those things as the (sometimes direct, sometimes indirect) building blocks of your practice. Bring curiosity and provocation with you to the mat. Allow your practice to be one of insight and transformation. Be willing to experiment, to interpret, and to change your mind. Practice what you don't already know. Learn something new.
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