February 2010

Friends and fellow yogis,

I am grateful for the simplicity of yoga on bad days or days that my body is just a bit “off” for whatever reason. On days like this, I still leave feeling as fulfilled as I do after a challenging asana practice. This is attributable to the impact yoga has on a much deeper level than our physical bodies. The effect of yoga on the mind is why a day marked with poor balance does not render it a bad day to practice. This acceptance of individual physical limitations is a concept that is foreign to sports and many other physical disciplines. Having spent a significant amount of my life in the extremely competitive world of ballet, my transition into the non-judgmental world of yoga was a slow one.

The yogic principle of detachment or vairagya teaches us to discern between what is real and what are simply desires that are merely created in our mind or imagination. This is achieved by letting go of attachment to ideas about ourselves that are not a realistic portrayal of our individual abilities at a given point in time. For example, almost two months ago, I sprained my ankle in a non-yoga related injury that involved a friend’s birthday, a dark hallway, and several steps that I didn’t see in the dark. This has not prevented me from practicing yoga, but it did cause my practice to change for a period of time. In fact, I am still favoring my right ankle. For crazy perfectionists like me, having to take a few steps back to honor what your body needs or nurse an injury is extremely frustrating. It took a fair amount of time for me to accept that I will have to be gentle in specific poses until my body heals. Virasana (Hero’s Pose) is still uncomfortable, and I am just now able to practice full Padmasana (Lotus Pose).

Life presents us challenges as a form of instruction. When we begin to let go of the idea that we should be able to do something, both on and off the mat, we gain a little bit of freedom. We have all been in a yoga class and found ourselves humbled by the person on the next mat. There is nothing wrong with inspiration or admiration, as long as we accept the limitations of our individual bodies and avoid becoming frustrated because we are not yet able to accomplish a specific pose or task. You may have a particular asana in mind as you read this, or there may be some other seemingly insurmountable task in your life that is the current bane or your existence. In order to realize the full benefits of yoga and free ourselves from attachment, a regular practice coupled with renunciation of how we idealize our lives and yoga practice is necessary.

Ultimately, there are many lessons to be learned on our mat that translate into our daily lives. Learning to see everything as it is, in its purity, without bias or self-interest can help to set us free from our attachment to ideas of whom we should be. This is merely something to consider the next time you fall out of Vrksasana (tree pose). Maybe try to accept where you are in your practice and simply fall gracefully.

Namaste!