November 2011

I was reading an article recently that touched upon the concept of goals within a yoga practice. Such an idea appears to be the antithesis of the discipline. People are quick to dismiss the idea of goals within your yoga practice. On the surface, it appears to be a manifestation of the ego (asmita) and in an effort to better ourselves as practitioners and humans, we shy away from having "goals" in the competitive sense. However, our ultimate goal as yoga practitioners is Samadhi, otherwise known as Enlightenment...a true sense of peace in the universe and control over one's conciousness. That seems like a decent enough goal....right? I think so, though attainment of Samadhi can take lifetimes. So how can we set realistic milestones for this physical life while avoiding attachment to an idea?

Perhaps setting little goals along the way is a decent approach, as long as the little goals are in alignment with the ultimate goal. I don't believe that setting personal goals such as "I will try to practice ahimsa (non-violence) toward myself and others more readily" or "I will reach my heels to the floor in downdog one day" is necessarily a bad thing. I think the way one approaches a goal can be destructive and counter-productive. I have done this in the past. I can remember saying things like "I WILL learn to balance on my forearms in the middle of the room by next year." Though it's nice to dream, these assertions are not only counter-productive, but can be disappointing. The only control you have over WHEN you will accomplish something is practice. Boxing yourself into time frames not only limits your personal growth, but further increases your attachement to the goal. Goals within yoga must be approached as "I'm going to try my hardest to accomplish this thing, but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't matter and I'll try again tomorrow."

Easier said than done, right? Non-attachment is a harder skill to master than most of us would like to admit. I am guilty of becoming attached to the mastery of asanas, amount of days I practice, my ability to live a mindful life in alignment with the Sutras, etc.

The approach I mention can be explained by a a story that my teacher Tim mentions regularly from the Mundaka Upanishad, a philosophical text that pre-dates Hinduism and other early religions (that means it's really, really OLD.) The story features two birds. One is seated in the very top limbs of a tree and one is seated beneath in the lower limbs. The lower bird keeps eating berries: both bitter and sweet berries. He keeps eating and eating. Each time he eats a sweet berry, his appetite is satiated, but when he gets to another bitter berry he is immediately disgusted. This bird is miserable, because he is always unsatisfied...pleasure is impermanent. The bird in the upper limbs sits in the tree, calm and satisfied by the small pleasures in life. This bird has a peaceful and fulfilling existence. In this story, the bird on top represents the Transcendental Self, the purusha, and the greedy bottom bird represents the individual self.

This little story is an apt metaphor for yoga practice. See if you can find more of the looking bird in your practice instead of the eating bird. Take the path of ease and serenity...yet fervor and consistency rather than instant gratification. Don't get greedy. Put in the time on your mat and you'll get there. Try and look beyond the posture, and find the benefit in the work it takes to get there. Set goals, but enjoy the journey and practice like each day is your last.