I received this invitation in my inbox ” Yoga teacher XYZ is inviting you to XYZ 30 day summer yoga challenge. We will go through pose A, B, C so you can perfect it. And at the end, you get to post a picture of the pose that you’re most proud of.”
That invited led me to wonder, is that an oxymoron? Can you be proud of your yoga practice and still be practicing yoga? Maybe?
Patanjali (the yogi who wrote the texts of yoga), explains that we need both practice and nonattachment, both effort and release. Without releasing attachment, all the effort we make is in vain. The underlying purpose of yoga is to calm the mind and allow the spirit to shine forth. Suggesting that attachment to outcomes can be obstacles to that clear vision of our true self.
To illustrate this, the teacher, Swami Satchidananda, used to tell a story about two drunken boatman rowing all night. When the sun rose, they realized they had never untied their boat from the dock and hadn’t moved at all.
All that rowing is our practice, but without untying the boat – without that release or surrender – no real progress can be made.
Nonattachment is freedom from a constant focus on – “I am, I can, this is me, that is mine” When we practice effort and release, we practice humility.
Humility means that you are consciously working with your ego-mind, which is what the yoga teachings have been asking us to do all along.
Humility is not self-criticism or self-hatred. Instead, it’s a state of mind that is still open to learning and growing. It’s a mind that hasn’t become so full of itself that there’s no room for perspective or ideas to enter/leave or change or be examined.
What we refer to as yoga practice is really the act of creating space to clearly see the mind and its tendencies. Asana (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditation all create space between the observer and the mind.
The mind that yoga talks about is the voice that is narrating the story of your life. The spirit, or consciousness, is the one who is listening to that story.
Practice is the act of pausing that narration just for a moment. Or, as Patanjali describes it in sutra 1.13, “Practice is the effort toward steadiness of mind.” In this way the practice of yoga is much deeper than learning pose A,B,C, trying to perfect it and showing it off.
How does your yoga practice help you become aware of effort and release? How does your practice change the way you perceive your own inner dialogue?
What tone of voice are you using when you talk to yourself?
How willing are you to learn something new and feel the growing pains of a beginner?
And how willing are you to repeat that experience?
It’s fine to have pride in our accomplishments, but In many ways, humility summarizes all the yoga teachings in one simple concept.
Connected Living Yoga and Wellness was built on the concept of humility with the philosophy Yoga is for EVERYbody and the mantra Come as you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. And why I often suggest we practice with our eyes closed.
