Sticking to the Status Quo?
Sometimes we want so badly for everything to JUST STAY THE SAME. Stick to the status quo, as it were. But let’s face it, the only constant in life is change, so life continually challenges us to figure it out.
How does this manifest itself in our yoga practice? Maybe we get used to the same teacher or class format, and the teacher is out for a week, or the schedule has shifted. Perhaps the teacher throws a new pose at you, and it’s more challenging than what you’re used to. Or maybe you were expecting a challenging workout but got a more restorative practice instead.
It’s easy to view this as frustrating, particularly after these last few years. We find something we like that brings comfort or predictability, and dang it, we want it to stay that way!
The Yoga Sutras, the ancient texts of Patanjali, offer us wisdom and guidance in the practice and study of yoga. The word sutra means “threads” of wisdom in Sanskrit. Two sutras that might be particularly useful when presented with change or challenge are Abhyasa and Vairagya. Abhyasa means diligent practice, and Vairagya means non-attachment.
The Buddha believed that the root of all suffering is attachment - we want things (more money, to do a handstand, no more masks, etc.). The more we want them and don’t get them, the more we suffer. We get frustrated, angry, sad, or any of the other thousands of emotions.
Vairagya teaches us to separate ourselves from these experiences objectively, while abhyasa reminds us that this will take diligent, hard, continuous work to do it. I would never tell you not to feel your feelings (just ask my kids - I tell them to feel their feelings all the time!). However, by looking at situations objectively, we may detach from them enough to eliminate a little bit of those frustrations.
Perhaps the next time a teacher cues a challenging pose, or you find yourself in class with a new-to-you teacher, you can step back from your gut response of, “this is frustrating,” and instead find yourself thinking, “Ok, what can I learn from this?”
So I challenge you NOT to stick to the status quo (vairagya), channel your inner RuPaul (“You better werk!”), and let us know how it goes.
See you on the mat soon.
Lisa L.