February 27th, 2024

Which area do you require more practice in:

A) Working hard and striving to accomplish more?
B) Resting and graciously appreciating what you have already achieved?

Do you find yourself:

A) Disappointed with your accomplishments?
B) Acknowledging that your current position is exactly where you should be?

Are you:

A) Influenced by the actions of those around you, even if they aren't suitable for your current circumstances?
B) Capable of attentively listening to your body and heart, and following their guidance?

If your responses leaned towards A for those questions, welcome to the club! Our society is really good at promoting perpetual improvement and conformity (keeping up with the Joneses, as the saying goes). Current western yoga culture seems to advocate the same "strive for more, improve constantly" message to enthusiastic yoga practitioners. Yoga challenges, flow videos, and boasting about yoga achievements inundate social media and mainstream advertising. As yoga has transformed into an industry, it has drifted away from an essential aspect of the practice: providing a framework that encourages us to approach life differently and to seek opportunities to serve consciousness.

Lately, my teacher has been discussing the cultivation of a non-acquisitional mind. This aligns with the concept of non-attachment, a fundamental principle to incorporate into our practice. Non-attachment and a non-aquisitional mindset are what will lead us towards moksha, or liberation from suffering. Striving to work harder, accumulate more possessions, or do more sun salutations and handstands, will not.

When I hear a yoga teacher urging me to push harder, do more, go further, I can't help but wonder why I needed to pay someone to tell me to do the things my neuroses are already pushing me to do at no charge!

Consider why you chose to practice yoga. If it is to practice a different way of being, because how you approach things is not giving you what you want, consider not doing your yoga practice the way you do the rest of your life. If you are looking to find a different approach, practice that new approach while you practice your asana,  your meditation and your self study.

It's easy to overlook the tendency to carry habits of "do more, work harder, get more" into your yoga practice. If you suspect you're doing so, slow down, examine how you're engaging with your practice, and dare to approach it differently. After all, the risk is minimal, and the rewards are significant!